EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY

What EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY does

The European Ceramic Society (ECerS) is a non-governmental, non-profit federation of national ceramic societies established in 1987 under Belgian law as an AISBL (Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif). Headquartered in Mons, Belgium with an 8-person secretariat, ECerS coordinates and promotes the study of ceramics across 19+ European member countries, supplemented by international collaborations with the American, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Korean ceramic societies. The society serves academic researchers, PhD and graduate students, ceramic industry professionals, and its affiliate national societies.

ECerS operates a portfolio centered on biennial general conferences (Lyon 2023 drew 1,300 participants from 56 countries), topical events (Electroceramics, yCAM, Shaping, BioCAM), summer schools, and the Young Ceramists Network (YCN). Its publishing arm consists of two Elsevier-distributed Q1-ranked journals: Journal of ECerS (2025 IF 6.3) and Open Ceramics (IF 3.4). The society administers the Stuijts, Richard Brook, Young Scientist, Gian Nicolas Babini Industrial, and ACerS-ECerS Joint Awards, and runs the International Ceramist Student Exchange Program offering 1,200 EUR grants for cross-border mobility.

The business model rests on three recurring streams: individual and institutional membership fees (annual subscriptions), conference and summer school registration with tiered member/student pricing, and journal partnership revenues routed through the JECS Trust foundation (established December 2007), which administers Elsevier-derived funds for mobility grants, workshops, and member-benefit activities. Distribution is hybrid: self-serve via ecers.org, rotating European conference venues, and Elsevier's ScienceDirect platform for journals. Leadership comprises President Thomas Graule (EMPA, 2023-2025), President-Elect Richard Todd (University of Oxford, 2025-2027), and CEO Véronique Huart.

Name

EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY

Legal name

European Ceramic Society AISBL

Website

https://ecers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

European Ceramic Society (ECerS) is a Belgian non-profit federation of national ceramic societies, coordinating biennial conferences, two Q1-ranked Elsevier journals, summer schools, awards, and mobility grants for ceramic researchers across Europe and partner countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mons

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual and institutional membership fees providing access to events, journals at reduced prices, and eligibility for JECS Trust funding calls
2. Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from biennial ECerS conferences, summer schools, topical events, and workshops with tiered pricing for members and non-members including students
3. Journal Partnership Revenue: JECS Trust oversees expenditure of funds passed on to ECerS by the Journal of ECerS and publisher Elsevier, supporting activities for membership benefit

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The European Ceramic Society (ECerS) is a non-profit pan-European federation that coordinates and promotes ceramic science across academia, R&D, industry, government, and the arts through biennial conferences, two Q1-ranked scientific journals, summer and winter schools, awards programs, specialized networks, and student mobility grants administered through the JECS Trust. Its members include 27 national ceramic societies from 28 European countries plus individual researchers, students, and corporate/industry partners such as Cerame Unie.

Product overview

The European Ceramic Society (ECerS) is a non-governmental, non-profit federation of national ceramic societies established in 1987 to coordinate and promote the study of ceramics. ECerS operates a portfolio of products and services centered on its two official journals (Journal of ECerS and Open Ceramics), biennial conferences and exhibitions, educational summer schools, and specialized networks including the Young Ceramists Network (YCN) and Bioceramics Network. The Society administers prestigious awards (Stuijts Awards, Richard Brook Awards, Young Scientist Awards, and Gian Nicolas Babini Industrial Awards) and partners with the JECS Trust foundation to provide funding through student exchange programs and mobility grants. ECerS functions as a professional society rather than a technology product company, focusing on fostering collaboration, education, and research advancement in ceramics science and industry across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership
• Corporate and Society Membership
• Journal of the European Ceramic Society Subscription-based peer-reviewed scientific journal covering ceramic science and engineering, with a 2025 Impact Factor of 6.3 and ranked in the Q1 category in materials science/ceramics, published with Elsevier on ScienceDirect.
• Open Ceramics Open-access peer-reviewed scientific journal published by ECerS with Elsevier, covering ceramic science with a 2025 Impact Factor of 3.4 and Q1 ranking, available worldwide via ScienceDirect.
• ECerS Biennial Conference Flagship rotating biennial scientific conference for the European ceramic community, featuring plenary and keynote lectures, technical sessions, posters, industry exhibition, and the Stuijts Award ceremony. Lyon 2023 convened 1,300+ attendees across 60+ technical sessions with 850+ posters and 50+ exhibitors, and Krakow 2022 drew 1,200+ attendees.
• ECerS Summer and Winter Schools Short-duration intensive educational programs for graduate students and early-career researchers on specialized ceramic-science topics; example program: AIMed Winter School held in January-February 2024 in Bressanone, Italy, on advanced ceramics for medical applications.
• Young Ceramists Network (YCN) ECerS community and outreach program for early-career ceramic scientists, including the yCAM 2023 conference and the 'Europe Makes Ceramics' awareness campaign, providing networking, events, and visibility for young researchers.
• Bioceramics Network Specialized ECerS network connecting researchers and clinicians working on bioceramics, organized into topical clusters (e.g., dental ceramics, bone cements, regenerative bioceramics, ophthalmic ceramics) and running dedicated workshops such as BioCAM.
• JECS Trust Student Exchange Program Grant program funded by the JECS Trust (endowed by Prof. John E. Croll) that supports two-week research visits by master's and PhD students at European partner laboratories, with a stated goal of approximately 50% gender balance among recipients.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• American Ceramic Society (ACerS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2020Collaboration agreement signed between ACerS and ECerS establishing joint award, joint symposium, and student event collaborations. First joint symposium 'Emerging Ceramic Technologies' took place at MS&T20.
• JECS TrustcoreOthersJECS Trust was formally set up in December 2007 to oversee expenditure of funds passed on to ECerS by the Journal and publisher Elsevier. Supports mobility projects, workshops, and ECerS activities.
• AIMed (H2020-MSCA-ITN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECerS is one of the organisation partners of the H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions AIMed project, an Innovative Training Network for 15 early-stage researchers developing antimicrobial biomaterials for orthopaedic applications.
• Chinese Ceramic SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration through student exchange program allowing European students to attend events organized by partner ceramic societies.
• Japanese Ceramic SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration through student exchange program for ICC 11 in Sapporo, Japan (September 2026).
• Indian Ceramic SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration through student exchange program.
• Korean Ceramic SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration through student exchange program.
• Cerame UnieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Ceramic Industry Association representing the European ceramic industry. Discussions ongoing for collaboration including presentation of 'Ceramic Roadmap to 2050'.
• ElseviercoreOthersPublisher of Journal of ECerS and Open Ceramics. Passes funds to JECS Trust for ECerS activities.
• Belgian Ceramic Research Centre (BCRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of BIOCAM Workshop and Master Class on ceramic additive manufacturing for biomedical applications in Mons, Belgium.
• Europe Makes Ceramics (EMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdditive Manufacturing network of ECerS organizing yCAM (young Ceramists Additive Manufacturing Forum) and coordinating European ceramic AM community.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Deutsche Keramische Gesellschaft (German Ceramic Society): One of ECerS's largest national affiliate societies, hosting the 2025 ECerS-FIRE Summer School in Dresden and co-organizing European events; directly comparable national-level ceramics federation.
• Groupe Français de la Céramique (French Ceramic Society): Co-organized the Lyon 2023 ECerS Conference; operates as the French national affiliate with overlapping membership, conference and event functions.
• American Ceramic Society: The U.S. counterpart federation of ceramic scientists and engineers. ACerS has an explicit collaboration agreement with ECerS covering joint awards, joint symposia and student exchanges, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Indian Ceramic Society: Indian national society for ceramics research and industry, collaborating with ECerS on student exchange; serves the same academic/industry membership base around ceramic materials.
• The Ceramic Society of Japan: National society for ceramics professionals in Japan and a formal ECerS partner for the student exchange program, serving the same ceramic-science community with conferences, journals, and awards.
• Chinese Ceramic Society: National ceramics society in China and a listed ECerS international partner supporting the student exchange program; operates journals, conferences, and awards in the same ceramic-science niche.
• Korean Ceramic Society: Korea's national ceramics professional body and ECerS international partner; closely comparable as a country-level federation running events, journals and exchanges for ceramic researchers.

Broad incumbents

• International Ceramic Federation (ICF): Broader global federation that overlaps with ECerS at the international policy/representation level but does not focus on the European academic-community convening role ECerS plays.
• Materials Research Society (MRS): U.S.-based, broader-scope materials society whose conferences and publications overlap with ECerS's domain in advanced ceramics but extend to metals, semiconductors and biomaterials.
• European Materials Research Society (E-MRS): Europe-focused materials science society with broader scope than ECerS, including metals, polymers and composites. Comparable as a European non-profit member society running conferences, schools, and journals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-ceramic-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY