Politecnico di Torino logo

Research database

GENMAT - Generative Foundation Model for Multi-Scale Materials Discovery, Design and Deployment

Duration:
01/06/2026 - 31/05/2029
Principal investigator(s):
Project type:
UE-funded research - HE - Global Challenges - Digital, Industry and Space
Funding body:
COMMISSIONE EUROPEA
Project identification number:
101295332
PoliTo role:
Coordinator

Abstract

GENMAT will develop and validate Europe’s first integrated multi-scale, multi-modal materials-science foundation model (M3FM), shortening the 10–20-year lab-to-market cycle. A unified AI infrastructure will connect atomic chemistry, microstructure evolution, manufacturing optimisation and in-service performance monitoring, providing physics-aware insights from design to use so European industry delivers sustainable materials faster and at lower cost. M3FM combines physics-aware learning with EMMO semantics, multi-modal fusion (chemical structures, process parameters, imaging and sensors), and a hierarchical architecture that bridges scales, under open-science practices for reproducibility and trust. We address three high-risk, high-impact challenges: (1) a FAIR data-governance ecosystem integrating existing resources (e.g., NOMAD) into an interoperable platform; (2) a generalisable backbone that learns across materials classes, replacing fragmented single-task models; and (3) trustworthiness via physics-informed constraints, uncertainty quantification and transparent decision-making.

The toolkit will provide encoders for chemistry/imaging/ sensors, physics-informed neural operators, cross-scale transfer, generative models for molecules and microstructures, UQ and human-centred XAI. EuroHPC will support pre-training; parameter-efficient fine-tuning will enable partner-side adaptation, with secure options to combine proprietary and public datasets. Assets will be shared via EOSC/AI-on-Demand. Impact will be demonstrated through three use cases: recyclable vitrimer-based polymers; PFAS-free durable coatings; and AI-driven structural health monitoring for composite structures. Together these advance circularity, durability and safety, shorten development cycles and de-risk industrial uptake. By delivering open, sovereign AI infrastructure aligned with European values, GENMAT will place Europe at the forefront of AI-enabled materials discovery and deployment.

People involved

Structures

Partners

  • AEROBASE INNOVATIONS AB
  • BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY
  • BRUNEL UNIVERSITY
  • CINECA CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO
  • CUBIC SNAIL O.P.
  • ENTELEA LIMITED
  • INNOVATION IN RESEARCH & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
  • MELLANOX TECHNOLOGIES LTD - MLNX
  • NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION "DIGITAL SECURITY LAB UKRAINE"
  • POLITECNICO DI TORINO - AMMINISTRAZIONE CENTRALE - Coordinator
  • STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET
  • TALOS ANALYTICS IKE
  • TECHNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS LTD
  • TWI Ltd

Keywords

ERC sectors

PE6_7 - Artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, multi agent systems
PE5_6 - New materials: oxides, alloys, composite, organic-inorganic hybrid, nanoparticles
PE8_8 - Materials engineering (metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, etc.)
PE5_15 - Polymer chemistry
PE8_7 - Mechanical and manufacturing engineering (shaping, mounting, joining, separation)

Sustainable Development Goals

Obiettivo 12. Garantire modelli sostenibili di produzione e di consumo

Budget

Total cost: € 5,951,724.82
Total contribution: € 5,951,724.82
PoliTo total cost: € 649,386.56
PoliTo contribution: € 649,386.56