The network will build a sustainable European research base for future training, research collaboration and commercial exploitation of novel techniques in the area, and establish strong collaborative links with third parties. It will also promote interest in the broader area through targeted public engagement and outreach activities. To achieve this overall aim, we will pursue the following more specific objectives:

1. Bridging the gap between the sub-areas involved through a joint programme of research that will produce novel integrated results to enable a step change in the state of the art.
2. Expanding European research capacities in the area that will grow beyond the duration of the project by seeding the people pipeline with experts trained in appropriate skills.
3. Improving cross-sectorial collaboration in the area by bringing stakeholders from different domains together and addressing technological challenges driven by their business needs.
4. Developing a holistic approach to research training in the area by establishing training links among partners with key expertise and improving collaborative ties among them.

ESSENCE will achieve these goals by following a principled methodology that will enable a crossover between existing bottom-up and top-down approaches, training a cadre of top-quality young researchers within this scientific context. The transnational virtual research lab it will create will have sufficient critical mass to foster the development of an international ESSENCE community, and to lay the foundations for future industrial exploitation of ESSENCE technologies.