Honoured by the presence of HRH the Crown Prince of Luxembourg and Mr Claude Meisch, Minister for Higher Education and Research, this ceremony, hosted by the University of Luxembourg, showed how essential research activities are to ensure the future and development of the Luxembourg and European steel industry.

Created in 1972 on the Schlassgoard site in Esch-sur-Alzette and specialising in long products (beams,sheet piling, rails), this R&D centre supports the group's plants throughout the world in the development of their processes and products, in order to imagine new solutions and applications. With 45 researchers of all nationalities, this centre is part of the Global R&D network, which brings together all the R&Dteams of the ArcelorMittal group. In Luxembourg, these teams work in close collaboration with the major local innovation players such as the University of Luxembourg, the LIST, Luxinnovation, the FNR and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

During this ceremony, the teams from the R&D centre presented their work, techniques and tools used to ensure that ArcelorMittal is able to anticipate customer demands and respond to societal challenges. By integrating the constraints of a more efficient steelmaking activity in terms of environmental impact, energy efficiency and the circular economy, the researchers at the Esch-sur-Alzette centre are giving our sites the means to meet the challenges of the future.

Michel Wurth, President of ArcelorMittal Luxembourg said: “Today's ceremony was a great opportunity for our researchers to show the know-how of the Luxembourg steel industry and how well-targeted human intelligence can achieve excellence and develop unique steel solutions.”

For Boris Donnay, Director of the Esch-sur-Alzette research centre, “For 50 years, the research centrehas been able to adapt and welcome new skills. During these 50 years, our researchers have contributed their dynamism and creativity. Their achievements are applied in the group's Luxembourg units and beyond, throughout the world. Our researchers help to demonstrate that steel is a material at the service of society and its sustainable development, as expressed in the ArcelorMittal group's slogan: Smarter steels for people and planet.”