Forward Look on Mathematics and Industry

Knowledge has become the main wealth of nations, companies and people. Hence, investing in research, innovation and education is now the key-leverage for competitiveness and prosperity in Europe. At the heart and foundation of this challenge, mathematics plays a crucial role as it provides a logically coherent framework to industry and a universal language for the analysis, simulation, optimisation, and control of industrial processes.
Mathematics is an essential factor in the industrial creation of value and a driving force for innovations, but often its contributions are invisible in the final industrial products. The use of mathematical techniques gives a competitive advantage to industry by suggesting innovative interdisciplinary approaches. In this context, the goal of the present Forward Look was to explore ways of stimulating and intensifying the collaboration between mathematics and industry. European scientific and industrial communities, in close interaction with policy makers, have developed medium to long-term views and analyses of common issues, questions, and “good practices” between mathematics and industry in order to envisage strategies for a stronger interaction of mathematicians with large and medium size companies aimed at technological advancement.