Expectations on AIMday Materials 2025

Martina Lattemann, PhD, Docent and Technology Area Manager Modelling & Simulations at Sandvik Coromant

How do you think the ÅMA platform helped bridge the gap between industry needs and academic research in material sciences?

I am fairly new to ÅMA and recently joined as an industrial representative. Already, I have many positive experiences. AIMDay is one way of bridging the gap. The discussions initiated around the submitted research questions bring academic research closer to industry. It challenges both academic researchers and industrial representatives to find common ground, connecting research outcomes with industrial needs. Recently, I attended a workshop on AI and digitalization organized by ÅMA. This is another effective way to foster discussions between academia and industry.

As a Sandvik Cormorant representative, how many times have you participated in AIMday Materials, and what aspects of the event make it valuable for your organization?

I must admit, only once. Last year, a colleague encouraged me to submit a research question, and we ended up submitting two. I was surprised by the broad interest. Even though the research question was about first-principles calculations, our view on the solution to the problem was challenged by experimentalists. What I brought back to Sandvik Coromant was the confidence in questioning our approach to challenges, many new insights related to our problem, and valuable new contacts. We often tend to be very restricted to our own way of thinking and approaching problems, which can be limiting in finding a good solution. The first time I heard about ÅMA was many years ago when a colleague sent in a research challenge to AIMDay. As I remember, it led to a successful collaboration with Uppsala, which lasted for years. I think it’s a pity that not more colleagues take the time to attend AIMDay. This time, I encouraged colleagues around me to think about and formulate a challenge. I also realized that one is often focused on getting the task done and grasping the first possible solution.

Can you share an example of a challenge or question Sandvik Cormorant brought to AIMday that led to productive discussions or a collaboration?

Absolutely, one example was the non-destructive quality control, used in R&D and production. An established method is the measurement of the magnetic saturation of an insert. Nowadays, the optimization of the material leads to an increased need for a detailed understanding of the magnetic properties of the hard metal. The discussions led to two smaller projects and the initiation of one research collaboration and a WISE application.

What do you think could be improved or added to AIMday or the ÅMA platform to better align with your industries, or Sandvik Cormorants, priorities and foster deeper partnerships?

As I mentioned, I just recently got engaged with AIMDay and the ÅMA platform. My experience so far is that AIMDay is an established way of initiating partnerships. ÅMA also seeks out new ways of engaging partnerships, such as the workshop series with topics decided by the industrial members. The fact that I hardly heard about AIMDay at Sandvik Coromant indicates that more promotion and success stories for advertisement are needed. This newsletter is a good example of promoting the activities and ÅMA to hopefully motivate more industrial researchers to participate in AIMDay and other events.

Kristofer Gamstedt Professor at Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Uppsala university

AIMday Materials has been a cornerstone of the ÅMA platform for many years. As a regular participant, how many AIMdays have you attended, and what motivates you to return year after year?

AIMday Materials is a very good opportunity for researchers to establish contact with industry, which can result in fruitful collaboration.

How do you feel ÅMA, through initiatives like AIMday, facilitates meaningful connections between academia and industry in material sciences?

ÅMA promotes collaboration between researchers in academia and industry through AIMdays, theme days and grants for prestudies and verification of collaboration. The initiatives of ÅMA are much appreciated.

From your perspective, what has been the most impactful outcome or collaboration resulting from your participation in AIMday Materials?

Without AIMday Materials, I and my colleagues would have missed out on several interesting collaborative projects. Some of them have involved thesis projects for engineering students, so both our research and education have benefited.

Looking ahead, what improvements or new features would you like to see in AIMday Materials or the broader ÅMA platform to better support research and innovation in material sciences?

We are educating most of our postgraduate (research) and undergraduate students (in engineering programs) mainly to work in industry in their future careers. The AIMdays have provided a good platform in this respect. A broader platform and a more active role from academia in making use of this opportunity is desirable.