INSTM mission: real innovation

The Consortium is active in all areas where Materials Science and Technology is of strategic importance. This includes molecular materials for electronics; photonics; polymers; composites; metals and ceramics for structural and functional applications; nanomaterials; biomaterials; and protective coatings.

In all of these sectors, the Consortium's aim is to develop a greater knowledge base and the advanced technologies that will contribute to a better quality of life in Italy. It looks forward to achieving this through its growing interaction with industry as together with its affiliates and industrial partners, it faces all of the challenges that are inherent in the development, engineering and manufacture of new products based on these new materials. In brief, INSTM's objectives are to:

• promote research and development in technology, with particular focus on supporting affiliated universities in their initiatives in the chemistry, engineering and nanotechnology sectors;
  
• promote the development of Centres of Excellence and other national structures that will enable the highest possible levels of research and development;
  
• provide an authoritative point of reference for international cooperation and for industry, providing them with a full range of expertise, structures and equipment;
  
• support, develop and integrate the activities carried out by affiliated research groups in order to promote technology transfer;
  
• promote mainstream society's greater involvement in materials science and technology, and to create a better understanding of its implications for sectors such as public health, safety, energy, and the conservation of our cultural heritage. This through seminars, publications, the dissemination of knowledge, courses and scholarships.