INSTITUTION PROFILE / MATERIALS INFORMATICS
European Commission
The EU executive that proposes laws and drives research funding and a shared materials-data plan
The European Commission is the executive arm of the European Union (EU). It can propose laws, but the European Parliament and the Council of the EU adopt them, and Member States put them into practice. For materials informatics, the Commission runs the Horizon Europe research funding programme and is pursuing the "Materials Commons", a plan to link national materials-data platforms, along with a policy framework for advanced materials. This profile looks at one question only: how much influence the Commission has over materials informatics (MI).
What this article covers
- The European Commission in 30 seconds
- What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
- What it does for materials informatics
- How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
- How the policies and money fit together
- Outlook
- Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit
1. The European Commission in 30 seconds
FULL NAMEEuropean CommissionThe executive arm of the European Union
REGIONEuropean UnionSeat in Brussels, Belgium. Covers 27 Member States
TYPE OF BODYEU executive institutionPolitically independent. One Commissioner from each Member State, 27 in all
ESTABLISHED1958As stated on the EU's institution profile page
STAFFAround 33,000Permanent and contract staff combined (Commission staff page)
BUDGETHorizon Europe: about EUR 93.5 billionIndicative amount for 2021 to 2027, in euros. It is the research programme's amount, not the whole EU budget
ROLE IN MATERIALS INFORMATICSResearch funding, a data-platform plan, policy frameworkLaws are adopted by Parliament and the Council
REACH OF INFLUENCEInside the EU, and further through who may join its callsNational research budgets are set by each country
The one thing to grasp first
The Commission is the only EU institution that can draw up a legislative proposal, but it is Parliament and the Council that turn a proposal into law Sourced. For MI, the Commission so far works through policy papers and research funding, not legislation. Its February 2024 communication on advanced materials is a statement of policy, not a law, and it includes the plan for a shared materials-data platform (the Materials Commons) Sourced. The Commission plans to propose an Advanced Materials Act in the fourth quarter of 2026, but we could not confirm that a proposal had been published by 22 October 2026 Not yet confirmed.
2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
Unlike companies, the institutions in MI articles do not sell new materials themselves. They can be sorted into four types by the route through which they influence the field. The Commission spans "Funding" and "Policy and regulation", but the second is a power to propose; the power to decide sits with Parliament and the Council.
3. What it does for materials informatics
The Commission's involvement falls into the following main areas. All amounts are in euros, and everything was checked on 22 October 2026.
| Activity | What it is | Scale and timing | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy communication on advanced materials (27 February 2024) | COM(2024) 98 final. It sets out 14 actions, one of which is the Materials Commons. It says developing advanced materials by conventional methods can take 10 to 30 years and that digitalisation could speed up discovery | A communication, with no legal obligation | Sourced |
| Horizon Europe funding | The 2026-2027 work programme includes a call on "accelerating the discovery and development of chemicals and innovative advanced materials through digitalisation and artificial intelligence". It lists connecting to self-driving labs as in scope. A further call supports cooperation with Japan on advanced materials | Horizon Europe as a whole: about EUR 93.5 billion (indicative). The AI and digital materials call: EUR 50 million in total, about EUR 13 million per project, 4 projects expected (open from 6 January to 21 April 2026). The call on cooperation with Japan: EUR 0.8 million | Sourced |
| Materials Commons for Europe (a plan for a data platform) | It aims to link existing national platforms for advanced materials, share data on FAIR principles, and agree common vocabularies and data formats. Connecting self-driving labs is envisaged. The 2024 communication said "by mid-2025"; the project itself was described as starting on 1 June 2026 | A EUR 28 million project, according to the Commission's page. Whether it actually started could not be confirmed | Sourced Not yet confirmed |
| European Strategy for AI in Science (RAISE) (8 October 2025) | COM(2025) 724 final. It gives a materials-science network of excellence as an example, and names AI-ready datasets, foundation models in materials science and automated laboratories as tools | EUR 108 million for the RAISE pilot (Horizon Europe 2026-27). Up to EUR 600 million from Horizon Europe for access to large-scale AI computing | Sourced |
| NOMAD CoE (a grant to a computational materials science centre) | An EU-funded research project led by Humboldt University of Berlin. The Commission was the funder; the university side ran the work | 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2024. EU contribution of about EUR 5.05 million | Sourced |
| Advanced Materials Act | A legal framework is being prepared covering the research and innovation ecosystem, regulatory procedures and production capacity. The public consultation closed on 13 January 2026 | The Parliament's tracker (20 September 2026) shows it as "Announced", with a Commission target of Q4 2026 | Not yet confirmed |
A materials engineer's view: how to read "1000 times faster"
The AI in Science strategy says that combining AI and robotics in closed-loop synthesis systems could identify and validate new materials "more than 1000 times faster than conventional techniques" Sourced. This is an estimate the Commission cites, and it is worded as "could". It is not a result already achieved, so it is safest to read it as a figure that varies greatly with the conditions. Even when a shared platform such as the Materials Commons is in place, data quality and confirming computed candidates by experiment remain the job of each research team.
4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
| Aspect | What the Commission has | What the Commission does not have |
|---|---|---|
| Powers | The power to propose legislation (it alone holds it). It designs Horizon Europe calls and runs the funding. It issues policy communications. It shapes priorities through the Technology Council (representatives of Member States, industry and research organisations, together with the Commission) | The power to adopt laws (the European Parliament and the Council). Implementation of laws (Member States). Approval of budgets (Parliament and Council). Running individual centres such as NOMAD |
| Geography | Funding that reaches research organisations and companies inside the EU. Calls set conditions on who may take part (for example, entities controlled by China cannot join the AI and digital materials call). It also runs a call on cooperation with Japan | The power to decide Member States' national research funding or national data platforms. The power to set other countries' policies |
| Legal force | Regulations are binding across the EU, and directives are carried out through national law. Communications and recommendations are not legally binding | A law aimed at MI itself (none exists at present; the Advanced Materials Act is still to be proposed) |
| Scale | About 33,000 staff. Horizon Europe: about EUR 93.5 billion (indicative amount for 2021 to 2027) | A published budget for MI alone |
A caution on the numbers
The EUR 93.5 billion is the indicative amount for the whole of Horizon Europe (2021 to 2027), not for materials or MI alone. An extra EUR 500 million was allocated for 2026 and 2027, bringing the total for those two years to about EUR 14.8 billion Sourced. For the next research programme (2028 to 2034), the Commission proposed EUR 175 billion on 16 July 2025, but negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council have yet to take place, so it is not an adopted amount Not yet confirmed.
5. How the policies and money fit together
The Materials Commons is designed so that the Commission does not build a new data platform itself but links the national platforms for advanced materials that already exist. The call text expects recipients to be publicly funded organisations mandated by their competent ministry, and asks them to act as national or regional hubs Sourced. NOMAD, a European materials-data platform, is not run by the Commission. It is a project that the EU funded through a research grant in the past Sourced.
6. Outlook
| What can be read | Primary source | Category |
|---|---|---|
| The Advanced Materials Act is planned for proposal in Q4 2026. We could not confirm that it has been published or what it contains. Adoption needs agreement between Parliament and the Council | The Commission's preparation page. The Parliament's tracker (20 September 2026, "Announced") | Not yet confirmed |
| The 2028 to 2034 research programme (a proposed EUR 175 billion) is under negotiation. The final amount is not settled | Horizon Europe page (proposal of 16 July 2025) | Not yet confirmed |
| We could not confirm whether the Materials Commons project (EUR 28 million) has actually started | The Commission's implementation page (stated as starting on 1 June 2026) | Not yet confirmed |
| RAISE's materials-science network of excellence is still at the concept stage. After the pilot, the Commission intends to develop RAISE under the new multiannual budget | COM(2025) 724 final | Not yet confirmed |
| EU policy on MI will probably advance by building shared infrastructure through funded projects rather than by legal mandates | The Materials Commons is built through a funding call. The Advanced Materials Act is described as covering the research ecosystem, regulatory procedures and production capacity; it is not described as requiring particular MI data formats | Inference |
7. Glossary
- Horizon Europe
- The EU's research and innovation programme for 2021 to 2027. It distributes funding through calls.
- Materials Commons
- An EU plan to link national platforms for advanced materials and share data and computational tools.
- RAISE
- Resource for AI Science in Europe: a plan for a "virtual institute" that pools talent, computing, data and research funding to use AI in science.
- Advanced Materials Act
- A legislative proposal the Commission plans for Q4 2026. It would cover the framework from research to production.
- Communication
- A document in which the Commission sets out its policy. It has no legal force.
- Regulation and directive
- A regulation is a law that applies as written in every Member State. A directive sets a goal and leaves each country to decide how to achieve it in national law.
- CORDIS
- The Commission's database of research projects that the EU has funded.
8. References
- EU European Commission (EU institution profile: role, established 1958, seat in Brussels, 27 Commissioners, the only body that tables legislative proposals). https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/institutions-and-bodies/institutions-and-bodies-profiles/european-commission_en
- European Commission Commission staff (around 33,000 staff). https://commission.europa.eu/about/organisation/commission-staff_en
- EU Types of legislation (regulations, directives, recommendations and so on). https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/law/types-legislation_en
- European Commission Horizon Europe (indicative amount for 2021 to 2027; the proposal for the 2028 to 2034 programme). https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en
- European Commission COM(2024) 98 final, "Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership" (27 February 2024). https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-7172-2024-INIT/en/pdf
- European Commission Implementation of the Actions on Advanced Materials (progress on the 14 actions: Materials Commons, IAM4EU, the Technology Council). https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/chemicals-and-advanced-materials/advanced-materials-industrial-leadership/implementation-actions-advanced-materials_en
- European Commission Towards the Advanced Materials Act (preparation of the act; consultation open until 13 January 2026). https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/chemicals-and-advanced-materials/towards-advanced-materials-act_en
- European Parliament Legislative Train Schedule, "Advanced Materials Act" (status "Announced"; Commission work programme date Q4 2026; as of 20 September 2026). https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-new-plan-for-europe-s-sustainable-prosperity-and-competitiveness/file-advanced-materials-act
- European Commission COM(2025) 724 final, "A European Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Science" (8 October 2025; RAISE). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025DC0724
- European Commission Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, Part 7 Digital, Industry and Space (call on AI and digital tools for materials; cooperation with Japan). https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-7-digital-industry-and-space_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf
- CORDIS Materials Commons for Europe (IA), topic HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-45. https://cordis.europa.eu/programme/id/HORIZON_HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-45
- CORDIS Novel Materials Discovery | NOMAD CoE (H2020, grant agreement 951786). https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/951786
9. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the article | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| An EU executive body, established 1958, seat in Brussels, 27 Commissioners, the only body that can propose legislation, adoption by Parliament and the Council | Sourced | Reference 1 https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/institutions-and-bodies/institutions-and-bodies-profiles/european-commission_en |
| About 33,000 staff | Sourced | Reference 2 https://commission.europa.eu/about/organisation/commission-staff_en |
| The differences between regulations, directives, communications and recommendations | Sourced | Reference 3 https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/law/types-legislation_en |
| Horizon Europe indicative amount of EUR 93.5 billion, the extra EUR 500 million for 2026-27 and the total of about EUR 14.8 billion, the EUR 175 billion proposal of 16 July 2025 | Sourced | Reference 4 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en |
| Contents of the advanced-materials communication of 27 February 2024 (10 to 30 years, the Materials Commons plan, FAIR principles) | Sourced | Reference 5 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-7172-2024-INIT/en/pdf |
| The 14 actions, the Technology Council, the EUR 28 million Materials Commons project stated as starting on 1 June 2026, IAM4EU | Sourced | Reference 6 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/chemicals-and-advanced-materials/advanced-materials-industrial-leadership/implementation-actions-advanced-materials_en |
| Preparation of the Advanced Materials Act; consultation until 13 January 2026 | Sourced | Reference 7 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/chemicals-and-advanced-materials/towards-advanced-materials-act_en |
| Advanced Materials Act status "Announced", target Q4 2026 (as of 20 September 2026) | Sourced | Reference 8 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-new-plan-for-europe-s-sustainable-prosperity-and-competitiveness/file-advanced-materials-act |
| The AI in Science strategy (8 October 2025): EUR 108 million pilot, up to EUR 600 million, the materials-science network, the "1000 times" estimate | Sourced | Reference 9 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025DC0724 |
| The AI and digital materials call (EUR 50 million, about EUR 13 million per project, 4 projects, 6 January to 21 April 2026), the EUR 0.8 million call on cooperation with Japan, the eligibility condition | Sourced | Reference 10 https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2026-2027/wp-7-digital-industry-and-space_horizon-2026-2027_en.pdf |
| Contents of the Materials Commons for Europe call (linking national platforms, FAIR, conditions on recipients) | Sourced | Reference 11 https://cordis.europa.eu/programme/id/HORIZON_HORIZON-CL4-INDUSTRY-2025-01-MATERIALS-45 |
| NOMAD CoE: grant period, EU contribution of about EUR 5.05 million, coordinating institution | Sourced | Reference 12 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/951786 |
| The four types of institution | Our calculation | Our own classification |
| Whether the Materials Commons project started, whether the Advanced Materials Act proposal has been published, the final amount for 2028 to 2034, an MI-only budget | Not yet confirmed | Not stated in references 1 to 12; this article does not estimate them |
| The outlook point that shared infrastructure will advance through funded projects rather than legal mandates | Inference | Our reading of references 6, 7 and 11 |
Last updated 22 October 2026 / Troy Technical
Figures come from the websites of the EU, the Commission and the European Parliament and from official Commission documents. Items described as "proposed" or "planned" have not been adopted. Items marked "Inference" are this article's reading of the primary information, not statements by the Commission.