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Table of Contents

Foreword.- I: A Trial Definition of Materials: Towards a Definition of Materials to Assist the Understanding of Current Changes.- I.1: “New” Materials versus “Old” Materials: a Groundless Controversy.- I.2: From Macroscopic to Microscopic Industrial Mastery of Materials: the Characteristics of the New Materials.- I.3: Structural Materials and Functional Materials.- II: Structural Materials.- II.1: Introduction: Variety, Complexity, Integration. The Role of Structural Materials in the Transition to a New Information-rich Production System.- II.2: Intra-materials Variety: Competition and Know-how as Exemplified by Composites.- II.3: “Inter-materials” Variety and the Overchoice Phenomenon.- II.4: Transient and Permanent Variety. From Management of Uncertainty to Management of Complexity.- II.5: Reducing of Complexity through Integration.- III: Structural Materials: The Main Areas of Application.- III.1: New Materials and Transport.- III.2: New Materials and Packaging.- III.3: New Materials in Building and Public Works.- IV: Functional Materials.- IV.1: Functional Materials and Information.- IV.2: Materials and Energy.- IV.3: Biomaterials and Biotechnology.- V: Strategies - Elements in an Industrial Policy and a Policy for Employment and Skills.- V.1: Description of Two Development Scenarios for Materials.- V.2: Industrial Strategies in Materials: European Situation.- V.3: Role of the Authorities in Europe in the Field of Materials.- V.4: Materials, Employment and Skills.- Conclusion.