The letter orchestrated by AMPT and signed by over a thousand scientists, industry leaders and Frontier Material stakeholders, urges Secretary Guterres to convene a strategic forum of dialogue and action for material science responding to complex global challenges

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NASHVILLE, TN, February 02, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Advanced Materials Future Preparedness Taskforce (AMPT)— an elite, non-political international organization set to fast track Frontier Material innovation for the benefit of society— has orchestrated an open letter signed by over a thousand material scientists, stakeholders, business leaders and other interested parties.

The open letter requests the support of the United Nations Secretary General in urgently convening a global forum of scientific thought leaders, government delegates, diplomatic and civil society liaisons to develop a vision for leveraging Frontier and Advanced Materials at the service of society and humanity.

The signatories of the Open Letter call for Secretary Guterres to embrace his own words "Trust in science, institutions and in one another" and to transform his inspirational words into action by embracing the following three axioms:

I. Science knows no boundaries and borders. Complex global challenges such as pandemics can only be mitigated by embracing innovative approaches enabled by collaborative science. Transcending territories, politics, ideologies, cultures, and scientific disciplines, we must come together, learn from each other, and respect the science-based knowledge created by one another. Only through international dialogue and partnership across domains, sectors, geographies, and academic disciplines will we create a shared global strategy and vision to develop scientific solutions to combat the current and future world crises.

II. Material science and engineering are crucial in responding to complex global challenges of our world. The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations shed light on the interconnectivity of the challenges our world is facing and the intertwined nature of the methodologies we need to deploy to address these challenges. From tackling climate change, increased demand in energy, to challenges with transportation, connectivity, food and water supply and health emergencies such as the current pandemic; material science & engineering play a pivotal role and need to be further enabled to provide the multi-functional tools we need for solving challenges of humanity.

III. This is time for action and change. The momentum fueled by the current pandemic must be transformed into building a new shared vision: a problem-driven, international framework for science to respond swiftly and effectively to global challenges. However, the development and implementation of such infrastructure requires governments and policymakers across the world to work together to reform and introduce policies that enable cross-country exchange of ideas, resources, and funding of collaborative science to respond to global crises.

Among the signatories of the letter are:
Sir Konstantin Novoselov | Nobel Laureate in Physics
Alba Vergés i Bosch | Minister of Health of Catalonia
Dr. Martin F.H. Schuurmans | Founding Chairman of European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
Dr. Antonio Castro Neto | Director of CA2DM Center at University of Singapore
Dr. Philip Kim | Professor at Harvard university
Dr. Andrea Ferrari | Director of Cambridge Graphene Centre, University of Cambridge
Dr. Yury Gogotsi | Director of Nanomaterials Institute | Drexel University
Dr. Matthew Fisher |Professor at University of California Santa Barbara
John Hoffman | CEO at GSMA, US
Dr. Frank Koppens | Group Leader at ICFO
Dr. Bonaventura Clotet | Head of Infectious Disease at HUGTiP
James Baker | CEO at Graphene@Manchester, University of Manchester
Dr. Luis Torner | Founder and Director at ICFO, Spain
Dr. Kari Hjelt | Head of Innovation at Chalmers Industriteknik
Dr. Jiaxing Huang | Professor at Northwestern University
Dr. Ahmed Busnaina | Director of NSF Nanoscale Science at Northeastern University
Dr. Carlo Iorio | CEO at YSBC
Dr. Deji Akinwande | Professor at University of Texas Austin
Dr. Hailin Peng | Professor at Peking University
Dr. Norman Tolk | Professor at Vanderbilt University, USA

"The Covid-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the limitations and weaknesses of our global response and infrastructure. However, it has also offered us a lens through which we can re-imagine and rebuild a new world," said Dr. Zina Jarrahi Cinker, Director General at AMPT.

"With United Nations support, we can leverage this learning and momentum to create a global alliance and reach new heights in impact and action with Frontier Materials at the service of society and humanity," she added.

The letter remains open for signature until 29 April 2021.
All international stakeholders from academia, industry, scientific organizations, associations and societies are welcome to join this message of science and unity.

To view and sign this open letter click here

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