Why Materials Science? The Armourers made armour and the Brasiers worked with copper and brass, so historically the Company has been associated with metal for centuries and the linkage is, therefore, armour, metals, metallurgy. The last is now regarded as a branch of the wider subject materials science which, in addition to metals and alloys, includes polymers such as plastics and rubbers, ceramics, composites and, increasingly, bio-materials and products of nano-technology.

The Trust supports materials science education by links with schools, universities, professional institutions and industrial companies. This support is funded by three interlocking programmes: the Company's own Materials Science Scheme and three jointly funded schemes with Corus and Rolls-Royce who all share our commitment in this field of education. The aim is to instill an interest in science education generally, whilst encouraging students to specialise in materials science, and then to join British Industry to use their talents.

Medals and cash awards for top materials science students are made at 19 universities and over 70 awards each year are made to undergraduates to gain industrial experience all over the world. Over 30 conference travel grants are given annually to postgraduate students. Scholarships and bursaries are given to some 45 students and grants are made for courses to update school physics teachers and to arouse the interest of chemistry and other science teachers in materials science.

The Company works closely with the Royal Society, the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The Material Sciences Committee policy is to assist in training and motivation in materials science at successive levels from schools, through undergraduate, post graduate and then post doctorate research and development.