About ESCM

Objectives

The European Society for Composite Materials is a European, non-governmental, non-profit scientific and engineering organization with the following objectives :

• To encourage the free interchange of information on all those aspects related to composite materials which are of interest to the scientific and engineering community.
• To provide a Europe-wide forum for discussing such topics, e.g. by organizing the ECCM (European Conference on Composite Materials) and more specialized symposia related to composites.
• To guide and foster the understanding and utilization of the science and technology of composite materials.
• To promote European cooperation in studying composite materials science and technology topics.
• To promote liaison with engineering and scientific bodies throughout Europe with similar aims and to serve as a facilitator for communication between such bodies.
• To foster an environment for timely and cost-effective research, develop and implement advanced technology in composites.
• To encourage the education of young specialists in the disciplines supporting composite materials science and technology.
• To recognize individuals of outstanding achievement in the science, technology, engineering, and application of composite materials.

History

The ESCM continues along the lines of the EACM (European Association of Composite Materials), founded in 1985. For 13 years, EACM, operating from Bordeaux (France), served the European composites community by organizing the now well-established ECCM (European Conference on Composite Materials) and other initiatives. In 1996, the Standing Committee of EACM agreed with the Institute of Materials to create a follow-up organization under French law.

In June 1997, a Provisional Council, composed of the previous EACM Council, completed by several well-known experts from the European composites community, gathered in London to discuss the transition from EACM to the new organization. General guidelines were agreed upon, and a Provisional Executive Committee and a Provisional President were elected. They were tasked with proposing a new Constitution and Regulations and preparing the foundation of the new organization.

After a series of meetings in the period September 1997 to March 1998, and after consultation with the Provisional Council in April 1998, the Constitution and Regulations of the new organization, called ESCM, were presented for approval to the (Provisional) General Assembly during ECCM-8 in Naples (Italy) in June 1998. This (Provisional) General Assembly comprised all Europeans registered at ECCM-8. Upon approval of the Constitution and Regulations, the (Provisional) General Assembly also elected the first Council of ESCM.

In 2016, during ECCM17, the regulations were updated to further improve ESCM operations. Additional modifications were proposed and ratified during ECCM21.

ESCM is a new organization, building on the past and preparing for the future. ESCM wants to acknowledge the important role of the original founders of EACM (Antony Kelly, Antony Bunsell, Hans Lilholt, Ignazio Crivelli-Visconti, Karl Schulte and Albert Massiah) by attributing them the lifelong title of Honorary Members.