Background
Metamaterials are artificially engineered materials designed to have unique properties that are not found in nature. Unlike traditional materials, which derive their properties from their chemical composition, metamaterials derive theirs from their internal structure. This offers a design-led approach that could enable step-change performance across many technologies, including telecommunications, sensing, aerospace, defence, energy systems, healthcare, optics, photonics and quantum platforms.
The coming decade is expected to see a decisive shift from laboratory discovery to commercialisation and scale-up. Both SMEs and large enterprises are beginning to adopt metamaterials-based approaches to develop differentiated, high-value products. Scotland is exceptionally well positioned to capitalise on this opportunity: Scotland is home to a supercluster of critical technologies including photonics, quantum, semiconductors, and sensing and connectivitiy, and it is at the forefront of the fundamental research underpinning metamaterials, particularly across electromagnetics, photonics, advanced materials, and quantum-enabling technologies.
Meeting 1
Join Technology Scotland for this first meeting of the Technology Scotland Metamaterials Special Interest Group, being run in partnership with ST Microelectronics and University of St Andrews, to learn more about metamaterials, how they can be implemented, where Scotland sits within the UK context, and also help steer the future plans and activities of the sector.
Agenda
09:30 – 10:00 – Coffee/tea and networking
10:00 – 12:00 – Main body of meeting
– Introduction to metamaterials, why they are of interest, the UK context and the need for Scottish activity, including the SIG (Andrea Di Falco, University of St Andrews)
– How are metamaterials currently being implemented, and why it is important to support the SIG (ST Microelectronics)
– Aims and objectives of the Metamaterials SIG (Alison McLeod, Technology Scotland)
– Roundtable discussions to help shape next steps and future direction of the SIG
12:00 – 12:30 – Coffee/tea and networking
