The International Workshop on Advanced Ceramics (IWAC) series was initiated in 2004 by Professors Pierre Abélard (Limoges), Jean-François Baumard (Limoges) and Masayuki Nogami (Nagoya) to promote synergies between selected laboratories in Europe and Asia. Since then, workshops have been held in Limoges, Nagoya, London and Erlangen. The informal format of exchanges during these workshops has proved to be a valuable tool for developing international networks and relationships in research and development as well as in student training and in teaching.