A Global Roadmap for Ceramics

The UK Ceramics industry has witnessed a 50% reduction in manufacturing units and workers over the past 25 years. It is perceived that the greatest opportunities for innovation, with high value returns, lie in the high technology, technical and engineering ceramic sectors. For the benefit of the UK, it is important to be able to identify the key areas for growth and investment. With increased globalisation of markets and supply chains, there is a growing need for detailed overview of the global ceramics market and a Roadmap for future developments.The 1st International Congress on Ceramics, a global event designed to facilitate discussion of major issues that face the ceramic and glass industries, will be held in Toronto, 25-29 June 2006. This unique meeting is structured in such a way that it will culminate in the production of a Global Roadmap for Ceramics. The primary themes are: Electronics, Energy, Environment, Cross-Sector Applications, Glass and Optical Materials, Consumer Products, Biology and Medicine. The ICC will be organised around five parallel workshops each day, in order to address the eight themes of the Roadmap. A group of nine UK academics, including two invited speakers, will attend the ICC in order deliver papers, but also to provide early feedback to the UK ceramics community of the current state-of-the-art in the various sectors and an overview of the Roadmap for Ceramics. Detailed reports of the Roadmap will be prepared for the ceramics community.