Abstract:The present paper is an address by Sir Collyear, John F·Eng FIM, the first president of the British Instilute of Materials, to the Nonferrous Metals Society of China. It mainly describes the following topics: the eternal importance of engineering materials in economic prosperity and the burgeoning opportunites that lie ahead, the steps needed to turn these opportunities into achievements, and the role of the Institute of Materials in this great and worthy prospect.

Key words: dmaterial, science, engineering, society