The world is now facing challenges affecting our daily-life that include, among the most acute, health care, energy, telecommunications, sustainable industry, smart cities and climate action. The successful response to these challenges lies on our ability to solve technological roadblocks related to the development of advanced devices.

Material science is at the heart of technological developments. Especially, epitaxy has always been the most powerful technique to fabricate/manufacture materials while controlling their properties at nanoscale, enabling the development of advanced devices. Today, material development becomes more vital than ever. To break down the barriers limiting the development of more efficient devices, continuous innovation is essential.

To build the foundation of new epitaxial and material science solutions, a European-level structure in epitaxy is today crucial to enhance knowledge sharing at wide scale thanks to cross-community discussions and exchanges.

The COST Action “European Network for Innovative and Advanced Epitaxy”, named OPERA, will build a new and innovative European Network composed of expert communities in epitaxial growth focusing on different materials classes: conventional semiconductors, oxides and 2D materials. It aims to bridge the gap between traditionally separated scientific communities, both academic and industrial, having the common goal to combine complementary knowledge, push further the material maturation, and exploit epitaxial combinations of the different material classes in order to unveil new properties and produce new functionalities. Based on this organization, the OPERA COST Action will foster interdisciplinary collaborative research activities allowing maintaining European epitaxy at the topmost worldwide level of research and innovation.