The Laboratory of Polymeric and Composite Materials ("Service des Matériaux Polymères et Composites" – SMPC) of the University of Mons  has been created with the support of both "Région Wallonne" and European Community within the frame of the Materia Nova research center.

The scientific and technologic competence available in Materia Nova research center, with more than 120 chemists, physicists, and chemical engineers, allows us to intervene in all step-states of the elaboration and life of a material, including its ultimate end-up after last utilization. Study of a material requires a deep knowledge of its bulk components as well as its surface properties in permanent interaction with its surrounding environment, i.e., degradation, corrosion, wettability, permeability are everyday phenomena that account for its adequate surface treatment. The materials so studied include either conventional materials such as metallic and inorganic alloys, glassy and pulverulent materials, or ceramic and organic materials with thermoplastics, elastomers and composites.

More particurlary and in perfect complementarity with other laboratories involved in Materia Nova research center, SMPC has oriented, since its opening in October 1997, its activities in synthesis, characterization, transformation, processing, and applications of polymeric and composite materials, with a special insight for the ultimate life end-up of the polymeric material after its last utilization ; "clean" incineration, recycling, depolymerization process, or biodegradation.

The key objective of SMPC is clearly defined : by a fine control/tuning over the polymer synthesis, and by an in-depth characterization of the resulting material properties, our goal aims at targeting new applications in industrial domains as versatile as packaging, cables, insulators industries, but also in electronic, communication, biomedical and pharmaceutical areas.

All these domains can be covered owing to the remarkable instrumental park available in SMPC in terms of synthesis, processing, and characterization of polymeric materials, and the good expertise of its scientists and engineers, that actually represent a group of about 35 persons.

Faithful to its initial vocation, the works and studies carried out in SMPC are oriented towards small to medium size enterprises, international companies and academic world. Next to what can be qualified as punctual trials/analyses to industry, SMPC has deliberately opted for long-term collaborations with industrial and academic partners. The strategy relies upon the implementation of one-to-several years projects aiming at establishing permanent interactions between oriented fundamental researches and targeted applications.

By its enrolment within the frame of Materia Nova research center, SMPC has allowed to complete and to reinforce the competence of this research pole in the polymeric and composite materials study.

Moreover, since January 2000, SMPC as founder member belongs actively to the inter-university research center in polymeric materials science, "Centre de Recherches en Sciences de Matériaux Polymères" – CRESMAP. This center, articulated onto University of Mons and University of Liège, aims at providing students, researchers, and industrials with human and materials means essential to the understanding and tailoring of the polymeric materials study.