AERoGELS COST Action intends to bring together the knowledge on research and technology of aerogels at the European level from academia, industry and regulatory experts. Aerogels are a special class of mesoporous materials with very high porosity and tunable physicochemical properties. Although some types of aerogels have already reached the market in construction materials and aerospace engineering, the full potential of aerogels are still to be assessed for other sectors. In this Action, the use of aerogels specifically for environmental and life sciences applications will be explored in a multidisciplinary approach to tackle two of the current main European challenges: circular economy and active ageing. The scope of the Action is to advance the state-of-the art on the topic by joining the knowledge and efforts of the most renowned experts on cutting-edge aerogel technology, on advanced characterization of materials as well as on biomedical and environmental research. Aerogels will be assessed from a materials performance point of view but also regarding health and environmental implications. AERoGELS Action will set a forum to disseminate knowledge to society, to boost the industry-academia interactions and to train European young researchers on research, innovation and entrepreneurial skills via technical schools, publications and STSM exchanges. Finally, the interdisciplinary collaborations are expected to yield innovative and integrated solutions for environment and for life sciences. The long-term scope of this Action is to develop an aerogel technology able to improve the welfare of European people and to move towards cleaner and smarter production in Europe.
