In the concluding session of the workshop a series of follow-up steps have been recommended:

• The organization of one or more small meetings with key polymer industry leaders (on the chief scientist and VP level). The purpose of these meetings is twofold: to get their input and reaction to the findings and to enlist them to support a new alliance between government, industry and academia.



• The participation in the workshop was limited to the ‘narrow’ field of polymer processing. Senior and emerging investigators and educators in relevant disciplines were missing. Therefore, it was decided to organize a follow-up meeting with key leaders of these disciplines in September 2003 in Athens, Greece immediately before or after the regional Polymer Processing Society meeting.



• Considering the profound educational implication it was recommended that a working group be set up and funds raised to develop a detailed curriculum for macromolecular engineering, and possibly for a unified core curriculum of molecular and supramolecular engineering (See above).



• It was decided to set up a special Website which will post the conclusions of the Workshop and all follow-up material and which will be through links entry to all the major Centers of polymer processing research. PPI took upon itself to carry out the project.



• Dissemination of the workshop conclusions will be made via all possible means including professional journals, trade journals, advisory boards of funding agencies, professional societies etc.



• It was decided that the funds left over from the workshop, will not be returned to the donors, but kept for carrying out the early follow-up steps.



• Finally, it was decided to explore the possibility of a NATO sponsored workshop.