A special one and a half day workshop will be held, to identify areas of academic research that can significantly impact the future of industrial technology development in the field of materials processing. About 30 leaders, in the area of materials processing, will be invited to the workshop. They will include representatives from the academia, industry and the venture capital community and be required to establish a set of industry- based priorities for materials processing research. The workshop, at its conclusion, will submit a final report which will make specific recommendations on those technical challenges in materials processing and manufacturing to which resources can be allocated with the highest impact. The identification of such opportunities will enable efforts and resources to be effectively applied in the area of materials processing. This will help in slowing and even reversing the gradual erosion of the United States' international competitiveness in this field.
