AcumenIST
AIST
AcumenIST is a new concept consultancy provided by experienced business leaders with a pronounced track record in both scientific research, development and innovation, as well as in public and regulatory affairs.
ID: 029102734491-93
Lobbying Activity
Response to Advanced Materials Act
13 Jan 2026
Perspective of a European Micro-SME Consultancy AcumenIST SRL is a European micro-SME consultancy active in the advanced materials ecosystem. We welcome the European Commissions initiative to develop an Advanced Materials Act. Advanced materials are a key enabling technology for Europes green and digital transitions, industrial competitiveness, and strategic autonomy. Micro-SMEs play a critical role in translating scientific excellence into industrial and market-ready solutions, yet their specific needs are often insufficiently addressed in policy frameworks. We would like to highlight the following key points for consideration in the design and implementation of the Advanced Materials Act: 1. Ensuring Effective Inclusion of SMEs and Micro-SMEs The Act should explicitly recognise the central role of SMEs and micro-SMEs in advanced materials innovation, including technology development, system integration, and advisory services. Access to funding and support instruments must be simplified, proportionate, and predictable, with dedicated SME-friendly schemes, reduced administrative burden, and realistic co-financing requirements. Without such measures, many highly specialised micro-actors will remain excluded despite their high innovation potential. 2. Addressing the Scale-Up and Industrial Deployment Gap A persistent challenge in Europe is the transition from laboratory-scale innovation to industrial production. The Act should prioritise scale-up, pilot, and demonstration activities, including shared infrastructures and open-access pilot lines that are accessible to SMEs. Support should extend beyond technology developers to include consultancies, engineering firms, and innovation service providers that enable industrialisation and market uptake. 3. Providing Regulatory Clarity and Predictability for Innovation Regulatory uncertainty is a major barrier for novel and multifunctional materials, particularly those involving nanomaterials or complex chemistries. The Advanced Materials Act should promote early-stage regulatory guidance, safe-and-sustainable-by-design approaches, and regulatory sandboxes, allowing innovators to test and refine solutions while ensuring high levels of safety and environmental protection. Clear and consistent interpretation of existing legislation across Member States is essential. 4. Strengthening Skills, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, and Knowledge Transfer Advanced materials development increasingly requires interdisciplinary capabilities spanning materials science, digital modelling, sustainability assessment, and industrial processes. The Act should support skills development, mobility of expertise, and structured knowledge transfer, including mechanisms that allow SMEs to access specialised competences through funded advisory services, networks, and competence centres. 5. Embedding Sustainability and Creating Market Pull Sustainability and circularity should be embedded as core principles throughout the materials value chain. The Act should promote life-cycle thinking, circular design, and sustainable sourcing, while also creating market pull through standardisation, public procurement, and lead markets for sustainable advanced materials. Demand-side measures are essential to complement R&D support and accelerate market adoption. From the perspective of a micro-SME consultancy, the Advanced Materials Act represents a unique opportunity to move from fragmented initiatives to a coherent, innovation-friendly, and SME-inclusive framework. Its success will depend on translating strategic objectives into practical instruments that support scale-up, reduce regulatory uncertainty, and enable sustainable market deployment. We encourage the Commission to ensure that micro-SMEs are fully integrated as key contributors to Europes advanced materials leadership.
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