An overview of 2025!

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Another busy year at Goldbeck Consulting during 2025, so here we take a moment to reflect on the highlights from the last 12 months. Our sincere thanks go out to our clients, partners and collaborators, and we look forward to what 2026 will bring!

We successfully completed two EU-funded projects early in the year, OpenModel and nanoMECommons, and we are just over half-way through one of our other projects, BatCAT, for which we just completed the alignment of ontologies with the EMMO.

This year also saw the successful launch of Semantic Materials — the semantic technologies branch of Goldbeck Consulting Ltd. Semantic Materials brings together a team of experts and partner organisations in Europe to support clients in chemicals and materials industries in building science-based, data-centric knowledge management systems.

As part of the Semantic Materials initiative, we also announced a new, working collaborative agreement with Semantic Partners, known for their technology stack expertise. We look forward to continuing work with them throughout 2026.

And, we developed our Semantic Data Management Maturity Assessment Service, a self-assessment tool to give you insight into the key issues of knowledge management.

 

Our work has enabled us to take part in several events, like

Cecam’s Workshop on Interfacial Properties: Open Questions

EMMC 2025 International Workshop

PSDI Materials Community Workshop

FEMS EUROMAT 2025

The Harmonised terminologies and schemas for FAIR data in materials science and related domains WG workshop – “Data Cataloguing for Materials Science and related domains”.

RDA 25th Plenary Meeting

Semantic Materials Workshop 2025

 

Alongside the events attended, there have been numerous presentations and posters:

Managing the complexity of multiscale modelling with semantic technologies by Otello Roscioni.

Knowledge representation of battery manufacturing supported by an integrated ontology system by Gerhard Goldbeck, Silvia Chiacchiera, Martin Petit and Martin T. Horsch.

Materials knowledge and data representation with a European ontology ecosystem by Gerhard Goldbeck

EMMO Ontology: enabling AI-based innovative advanced materials development: the CoBRAIN Knowledge Base for hardmetal thermal spraying coatings by Gerhard Goldbeck and Emanuele Ghedini

EMMO: an ontology based on universal materials science concepts by Gerhard Goldbeck

 

Publications have also been key to our work this year:

Application of the CHADA Workflow (CWA 17815:2025) for High-Speed Nanoindentation Mapping on Battery Cathodes by Daniele Duranti et al.

Training for the new CHADA was published.

Published paper Easy-MODA: Simplifying standardised registration of scientific simulation workflows through MODA template guidelines powered by the Enalos Cloud Platform Iseult Lynch, Antreas Afantitis et al. This publication supports the use of Easy-MODA – a free web tool for researchers to document and register complex modelling workflows.

Knowledge organisation and intelligent R&D for chemicals and materials industries – A workshop report by Gerhard Goldbeck, Vikki Cantrill, Ferry Kienberger, and Alexandra Simperler

 

Finally, our semantic technologies work has led to an approved CEN workshop agreement and the release of two ontology versions:

A new CEN Workshop Agreement on Materials characterization – Terminology and structured documentation has been published. This new agreement provides a standardised framework, called the CHAracterisation DAta (CHADA) model that documents materials characterization processes in a structured and consistent manner.

Released Characterisation Methodology Domain Ontology (CHAMEO) v1.0 for characterisation terminology and metadata.

Released the Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology (EMMO) v1.0 as a standard representational framework for the materials and manufacturing sectors in collaboration by many within the EMMC community.

Overall, a great year and we are looking forward to 2026!

 

OpenModel project logo
EMMC logo

 

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EMMO: A universal materials science ontology

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Now that the 18th European Congress and Exhibition on Advanced Materials and Processes, FEMS EUROMAT 2025, has drawn to a close in Granada, Spain, we reflect on the second of Gerhard’s talks that he gave on Thursday as part of the “Digital materials: rapid materials, experiments, simulation workflows, ontologies and interoperability” session. The talk was entitled: EMMO: an ontology based on universal materials science concepts.

In his talk, Gerhard highlighted that top level ontologies (TLO) involve a stronger commitment to what things are and how they relate to each other than schema. Gerhard introduced EMMO as a TLO committed to a science-based world view, with added common-sense perspectives that enable the same material thing to be described in different ways. He then went on to explain the TLO ISO standard, which provides a way for TLOs to document their commitments to different concepts, such as space and time.

For those just beginning their journey in semantic technologies, Gerhard also introduced EMMO-LITE, a user-friendly version of EMMO with the most widely used concepts for applications in materials sciences that does not require the user to have specific physics or philosophical expertise. Finally, examples from different projects, like BatCAT, were discussed.

For anyone interested in learning more about the differences between schema and ontologies and how the latter offers a more robust, future-compatible solution, we recommend the newsletter article When Standards Fail by John Bittner as part of his series of newsletter called Semantically Speaking.

 

 

The EMMC works across Europe in the area of development, validation, adoption and industrial exploitation of materials modelling with a strong focus on digital tools and data, fostering interoperability, and standardisation so enterprises can become more sustainable, competitive and innovative.

EMMO — formally the Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology — is a top-level ontology framework for materials, their properties, structures, and processes.

Here is a copy of Gerhard’s presentation today:

 

Acknowledgement

This work was presented on behalf of the EMMC and has received funding from European Commission under the European Union’s Horizon Research and Innovation programme, GA Nos. 101092211 (CoBRAIN), 101091912 (AID4GREENEST), and  101137725 (BatCAT), and by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee, GA no 10091190 (BatCAT).

 

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EMMO: enabling AI-based advanced materials development

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The 18th European Congress and Exhibition on Advanced Materials and Processes, FEMS EUROMAT 2025, is now underway in Granada, Spain.

Gerhard spoke to a full conference room with his keynote talk entitled: EMMO Ontology: enabling AI-based innovative advanced materials development: the CoBRAIN Knowledge Base for Hardmetal Thermal Spraying Coatings. This keynote talk formed part of the “Artificial intelligence, modelling and data science in advanced alloy and process design” session with Gerhard presenting the work on behalf of the European Materials Modelling Council (EMMC).

The presentation highlighted the challenges of FAIR data management in materials sciences, experience of an EU project (CoBRAIN) with building a knowledge base from the project data, lessons learnt and ways forward for improving the state of affairs. Much data is lost, so we urgently need to address this issue, otherwise materials science will not be able to maximise the opportunities of AI. A proposed data community effort to develop a ‘data cataloguing standard’ for materials data (a so-called Materials DCAT-AP) was very well received.

A photo of a small busy room of people watching Gerhard Goldbeck present a talk on a screen at the front of the room

Gerhard presenting his talk at the EUROMAT2025 conference

Similar ideas will also be discussed at the forthcoming Research Data Alliance working group meeting on “Harmonised terminologies and schemas for FAIR data in materials science and related domains” on Wednesday 24 September, 11.30am—13.30pm UTC.

The EMMC works across Europe in the area of development, validation, adoption and industrial exploitation of materials modelling with a strong focus on digital tools and data, fostering interoperability, and standardisation so enterprises can become more sustainable, competitive and innovative.

EMMO — formally the Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology — is a top-level ontology framework for materials, their properties, structures, and processes.

If you are attending the FEMS EUROMAT 2025 meeting this week, Gerhard would be happy to discuss all the projects that we are working on here at Goldbeck Consulting, our European projects, such as BatCAT, and our work at Semantic Materials.

 

Here is a copy of Gerhard’s presentation today:

Goldbeck_EMMC_EUROMAT2025

 

Acknowledgement

This work was presented on behalf of the EMMC and has received funding from European Commission under the European Union’s Horizon Research and Innovation programme, GA Nos. 101092211 (CoBRAIN), 101091912 (AID4GREENEST), and  101137725 (BatCAT), and by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee, GA no 10091190 (BatCAT).

 

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Heading to FEMS EUROMAT 2025

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Are you going to be at the FEMS EUROMAT 2025 meeting next week?

The 18th European Congress and Exhibition on Advanced Materials and Processes will run from Sunday 14–Thursday 18 September 2025 in Granada, Spain. The meeting and exhibition will cover a whole range of topics, including materials characterisation, testing and mechanical properties, modelling and sustainability.

Gerhard will be attending this meeting, so come along, have a chat and learn more about the work that we do.

He will be representing the European Materials Modelling Council (EMMC), and will be giving the keynote talk as part of the “Artificial intelligence, modelling and data science in advanced alloy and process design” sessions on Monday 15 September at 9.20–10.20am. His talk will be entitled: EMMO Ontology enabling AI-based innovative advanced materials development: the CoBRAIN Knowledge Base for Hardmetal Thermal Spraying Coatings.

A second presentation will also take place on Thursday 18 September at 2.30–4.30pm within the “Digital materials: rapid materials, experiments, simulation workflows, ontologies and interoperability” session. This second talk will be entitled: EMMO: an ontology based on universal materials science concepts.

The EMMC works across Europe in the area of development, validation, adoption and industrial exploitation of materials modelling with a strong focus on digital tools and data, fostering interoperability, and standardisation so enterprises can become more sustainable, competitive and innovative.

EMMO — formally the Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology — is a top-level ontology framework for materials, their properties, structures, and processes.

In addition, Gerhard is happy to discuss any of the work that we do, like here at Goldbeck Consulting, our European projects, such as BatCAT, and our work at Semantic Materials.

If you are interested in attending FEMS EUROMAT 2025, you can register here.

Acknowledgement

This work that will be presented at this meeting has received funding by the EU Horizon research and innovation programmes under GA Nos. 952869 (nanoMECommons), 862136 (OntoTrans), 953167 (OpenModel) and 101092211 (CoBRAIN).

Event announcement: Semantic Materials Workshop 2025

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Semantic Materials Workshop 2025

Knowledge Organisation Challenges and Solutions for Chemicals and Materials-Based Industries

Monday 10 November 2025

Homerton College, Cambridge, UK

 

Save the date!

We’re excited to announce that, following our very popular event last year, the Semantic Materials Workshop will be returning for 2025.

This year’s event will provide a unique opportunity to discuss pertinent topics in knowledge organisation and information integration with subject-matter peers that understand the particular challenges of chemicals and materials domains. A chance to learn from each other’s experiences and discuss with leading academic developers and commercial solutions providers about strategies and next steps in implementation.

This workshop will include a full day of presentations and discussions on the topic of Knowledge Organisation Challenges and Solutions for Chemicals and Materials-Based Industries.

Confirmed speakers include:

Please note:

Attendance at the workshop will be by invitation in the first instance. To make the most of the day, attendance in person is recommended.

We will be releasing full details of the event in early autumn on the Semantic Materials website and through LinkedIn, so be sure to follow. If you are interested in attending, you can register your interest by email.

Acknowledgement:

This event is kindly supported by the DigiCell project and the EMMC.

 

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Easy-MODA: Simplify and standardise simulations

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Within materials science, there is often the need to combine lots of data and models to facilitate innovation and standardise approaches. One method is to use Easy-MODA, a free web tool that helps researchers document and register the complex modelling workflows they use.

Workflows often combine physics-based models (like quantum simulations) and data-driven models (such as machine learning) to predict material properties, safety, and sustainability. Easy-MODA ensures that these workflows are clearly documented, making them FAIR. Easy-MODA forms part of the Enalos Cloud Platform.

Easy-MODA was described in a recent paper published in Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal that highlighted its key aspects and explained the primary function and benefits of using such a system. The method has also been highlighted in a recent Nanopinion article.

Easy-MODA is supported by the CEN Workshop Agreement on Materials modelling – Terminology, classification and metadata (CWA 17284:2018). CEN, provides a platform for the development of European Standards and other technical documents in relation to various kinds of products, materials, services and processes.

Easy-MODA: Simplifying standardised registration of scientific simulation workflows through MODA template guidelines powered by the Enalos Cloud Platform

was written by Panagiotis D. Kolokathis, Nikolaos K. Sidiropoulos, Dimitrios Zouraris, Dimitra-Danai Varsou, Dimitris G. Mintis, Andreas Tsoumanis, Francesco Dondero, Thomas E. Exner, Haralambos Sarimveis, Evgenia Chaideftou, Martin Paparella, Fotini Nikiforou, Achilleas Karakoltzidis, Spyros Karakitsios, Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, Jesper Friis, Gerhard Goldbeck, David A. Winkler, Willie Peijnenburg, Angela Serra and Antreas Afantitis.

Easy-MODA-paper

Or to view the paper, click here.

A version of record of this work is available here.

A look back over 2024!

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It has been a busy 2024 here at Goldbeck Consulting. Thanks to all of the support from you — our clients, partners and collaborators! We look forward to many more highlights in the coming year as well.

We have had the privilege to be involved with number of EU projects. Two of these projects have now successfully completed OntoTrans and DOME 4.0. We look forward to continuing work next year as part of the OpenModel and nanoMECommons projects. We have also enjoyed getting to know all of the partners within our new project this year, BatCAT.

We participated in lots of events throughout Europe, including NMBP-35 workshop, BIG-MAP EUnified Battery Data Space Workshop, BatCAT consortium kick-off and M12 meetings, OntoTrans consortium M48 final meeting, Knowledge Graph Alliance’s (KGA) 1st KG-AI summit, Materials Week 2024, CEN Workshop, 7th Semantics@Roche, Nanotexnology 2024 International Conferences & Exhibition on Nanotechnologies, Organic Electronics & Nanomedicine, Semantics 2024, OpenModel Exploitation Workshop, International Materials Science and Engineering Congress, CONNECT-NM kick-off and the NanoMECommons Workshop on materials characterisation, data standardisation and digitalisation. Gerhard also gave an online talk with Materials Square.

We also hosted our own Semantic Materials workshop in London. It was a great meeting and we hope to run a follow up event soon.

And we have published a number of publications and reports with our partners and collaborators: 

Developing ontologies in Materials Science

OntoTrans project press release and final video

Social Media – the art nouveau of communicating research projects to citizens?

Semantic Knowledge Management for materials: the benefits of a FAIR data and model-based approach in industrial research and development

Battery testing ontology: An EMMO-based semantic framework for representing knowledge in battery testing and battery quality control

Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology: Leveraging perspectives via a showcase of EMMO-based domain and application ontologies

Operationalising materials modelling workflows in industrial R&D – a benefits analysis

Overall, a great year and looking forward to the next one! Our very best wishes to all our partners and clients for a prosperous New Year.

 

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CONNECT-NM kick-off meeting Madrid

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Today, as part of his work with the EMMC, Gerhard is giving a talk at the CONNECT-NM kick-off meeting that is taking place at CIEMAT in Madrid.

Coordination of the European Research Community on Nuclear Materials for Energy Innovation (CONNECT-NM) is a project that answers the Euratom WP call “Cofund HORIZON-EURATOM-2023-NRT-01-04”, for a co-funded European partnership with the aim of boosting innovation in the field of nuclear materials for use in reactors ranging from light water to GenIV, by combining modern digital technologies with materials science practices.

Importantly, the handling of data, including its semantic documentation, is one of the research streams that forms part of the CONNECT-NM project. This project also includes multiscale materials modelling and testing, which makes it relevant to much of the work that Goldbeck Consulting undertakes.

Picture of lectures at the Connect-NM kick-off meeting

Picture of lectures at the Connect-NM kick-off meeting

Gerhard’s presentation is entitled: European community activities in materials modelling, digitalisation, interoperability and data standards:

EMMC_Connect-nm

Or, you can view the presentation here.

 

Acknowledgement: This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreements OpenModel (GA n. 953167) and NanoMECommons (GA n. 952869)

 

Nanotexnology 2024

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Last week, Otello attended the Nanotexnology 2024 International Conferences & Exhibition on Nanotechnologies, Organic Electronics & Nanomedicine series in Thessaloniki, Greece, and took part in a couple of events.

On Saturday 29 June, he attended the 18th International Summer Schools on “Nanosciences & Nanotechnologies, Organic Electronics & Nanomedicine” and gave a talk entitled “Organic semiconductor landscapes from molecular dynamics simulations”.

Then, on Thursday 7 July, as part of the 17th International Symposium on Flexible Organic Electronics, Otello gave an invited talk on “Structurally accurate coarse-grained model for polymers: a lesson of validation” as part of a wider workshop on open innovation and standardization and presented a post on the CHAMEO ontology.