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

 

EMMC logo

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).

EMMC2025 conference in Wien

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Today, the EMMC 2025 International Workshop — EMMC2025 — kicks off three days’ of events at the University of Vienna, Austria.

The workshop takes place every other year and this year the theme is “Accelerated Innovation and Sustainability by a Materials Modelling and Data Ecosystem”. The theme will be looked at from many angles including:

  • Advancements in modelling and integration with characterisation
  • Digitalisation and Interoperability including Materials Commons [2]
  • Software development, deployment and maintenance
  • Adoption in industrial ecosystems
  • Sustainability
  • Policy

Gerhard from GCL is attending, so please feel free to say hello and talk to Gerhard about the work that we do. He will be presenting a poster at the event, which also forms the basis for his flash talk on Wednesday 9 April.

The poster presents work that has been undertaken as part of the BatCAT project.

Gerhard’s presentation:

OpenModel project logo

Managing the complexity of multiscale modelling with semantic technologies

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Managing the complexity of multiscale modelling with semantic technologies

 

This week, Otello has been taking part in Cecam‘s Workshop on Interfacial Properties: Open Questions (28–30 January, 2025) in Daresbury, UK. This full, three-day workshop was dedicated to discussing several topical issues and problems associated with molecular modelling and simulation of vapour-liquid and liquid-liquid interfaces.

The topics covered included:

  • Thermodynamic properties: Systematization and ontologization in view of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and digital materials and product passports.
  • Methods for curved interfaces, finite-size effects, and nucleation.
  • Multiscale and mesoscopic modelling of interfaces: How consistent can it become?
  • Interfacial micromechanics: Localized quantities, intrinsic interfaces, and capillary waves.
  • Surface tension, virial, and pressure tensor in simulations with rigid multi-site models.
  • Simultaneous molecular model accuracy for both interfacial and bulk properties.

Otello gave a presentation during the first session on thermodynamic properties with the talk “Managing the complexity of multiscale modelling with semantic technologies”. This presentation covers some of the work that Otello has been doing as part of the OpenModel project. He talked about how OpenModel is a management system for materials modelling workflows based on semantic technologies; the importance of a semantic layer for interoperability; workflow documentation; and FAIR data creation.

Managing the complexity of multiscale modelling with semantic technologies

was written and presented by Otello Roscioni.

Cecam_2025 presentation

Or to view the presentation, click here.

A version of record of this work is available here.

Update: See our photo gallery from the event here. Photo credits: Otello Roscioni, GCL.

 

Acknowledgement: This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 953167 (OpenModel)

 

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.

 

OpenModel project logo

Operationalising materials modelling workflows in industrial R&D

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

 

To round off 2024, Goldbeck Consulting, along with colleagues from SINTEF and the University of Bologna, have published a white paper that discusses the importance of materials modelling workflows within enterprises.

The article delves into the benefits, challenges and practicalities of implementing a semantic interoperability platform. These platforms integrate materials modelling more deeply into the enterprise, improves its efficiency and supports collaboration. The paper has been published as part of the OpenModel project.

Within materials science and manufacturing, the use of semantic technologies is expected to be a key priority over the next 5–10 years as industries become increasingly reliant on data-driven decision-making, innovation, and sustainability practices. So, this article, highlights how semantic technologies are transforming materials science innovation.

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

was written by Francesca L. Bleken, Michele Brigadoi, Alessandro Calvio, Vikki Cantrill, Jesper Friis, Gerhard Goldbeck and Otello Maria Roscioni.

OpenModel-White-paper-Final

Or to view the paper, click here.

A version of record of this work is available here.

 

Acknowledgement: This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 953167 (OpenModel)

 

Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology paper out now

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Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology: Leveraging
Perspectives via a Showcase of EMMO-Based Domain
and Application Ontologies

 

An article outlining the Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology (EMMO) has been published in the Proceedings of the 16th International Joint Conference on Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management. This article was written by Goldbeck Consulting, along with colleagues from SINTEF, Norway, and the Univeristy of Bologna, Italy, as part of the NanoMECommons and OpenModel EU projects.

This image shows EMMO’s architecture, with its backbone based on mereocausality and its implementation of physics, chemistry
and materials, grounded in current natural science foundations (StandardModel). This figure was taken from Del Nostro, P. et al. Proceedings of the 16th International Joint Conference on Knowledge Discovery, Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management – KEOD, 135–142 (2024) published under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence.

The paper outlines the foundations of EMMO and describes its pluralistic (multi-perspective) approach. The paper goes on to describe three application ontologies built on the EMMO: a Battery Testing Ontology, which provides a structured framework for representing knowledge related to battery testing and quality control; a Hyperdimensional Polymer Ontology, which is designed to represent the wide variety of polymeric materials focusing on manufacturing aspects; and a MarketPlace Agent and Expert Ontology, which models experts, their expertise, and the community in the field of Materials Modeling.

Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology: Leveraging Perspectives via a Showcase of EMMO-Based Domain and Application Ontologies

was written by Pierluigi Del Nostro, Gerhard Goldbeck, Ferry Kienberger, Manuel Moertelmaier, Andrea Pozzi, Nawfal Al-Zubaidi-R-Smith, and Daniele Toti.

EMMOpaper

Or to view the paper, click here.

A version of record of this work is available here.

 

Acknowledgement: This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreements No 952869 (NanoMECommons) and No 953167 (OpenModel)

EMMC logo

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)

 

Close-up of mechanical gears and cogs. Designed by FreePik

MSE2024 conference Darmstadt

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Today, the International Materials Science and Engineering Congress — MSE 2024 — gets underway in Darmstadt, Germany. Organised by the Germany Society for Materials Science, this biennial event covers material science and engineering attracts over 1,200 participants.

Both Gerhard and Otello from GCL are taking part in this event. If you are at the conference, feel free to say hello and talk to Gerhard about the work that we do.

As part of the Digital Transformation session, Gerhard is giving a presentation entitled ‘Interoperable representations of characterisation workflows​‘, which gives an overview of how reference frameworks for characterisation workflows have been developed and applied. The presentation highlights work developed as part of the NanoMECommons project.

In addition, Otello is also giving a presentation as part of the same session. His talk entitled ‘Encompassing materials modelling for industry 4.0‘, focuses on materials modelling workflows using semantic technologies that was undertaken as part of the OpenModel project.

Gerhard also gets to chair an open session for NFDI-MatWerk that works to provide a comprehensive and accessible data infrastructure for all those working within the materials science and engineering community.

 

Gerhard’s presentation:

Goldbeck_MSE2024

Or, you can view the presentation here.

Otello’s presentation:

MSE2024_Roscioni

Or, you can view the presentation here.

 

OpenModel project logo

Openmodel Exploitation Workshop

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The OpenModel Exploitation Workshop took place yesterday and today (17 and 18 September 2024) in Hamburg, Germany. This two-day event demonstated the potential of OpenModel with ineractive sessions and on platform training with real-world applicatons.

Otello gave a presentation today entitled Describing, retrieving, and executing materials modelling workflows on the OpenModel platform, which gave a behind the scenes look into how to write and ontology from scratch and setting up semantic descriptions of workflows.

The presentation contains work resulting from EU project, OpenModel.

OIP_workshop_Hamburg24-v1

Or, you can view the presentation here.