NIA Interim DIrector General Sean Kelly attended the inaugural meeting of the Technology Council for Advanced Materials which was held in Brussels on 15 November. The Council was announced in the European Commission’s Communication on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership and is jointly chaired by DG GROW and DG RTD. The NIA is one of the official representatives from academia, research and technology organisations, industry and associations and is well positioned to represent the interests if its members and the wider nanotechnology community. The Council will help steer Europe’s strategy on advanced materials and aims to align efforts at a national, regional and European level to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced materials. The first meeting allowed the NIA the opportunity to communicate the achievements that have been seen in nanotechnology sector in Europe and to ensure that nanomaterials remain part of the Commission’s strategy on advanced materials