The European manufacturing industry, crucial for economic competitiveness, faces challenges pushing the limits of traditional materials, particularly in high-tech sectors like lithography and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). Metamaterials, built up from rationally, pre-designed architected substructures, hold the promise to outperform conventional materials and redefine the boundaries of industrial design practices, which can drive the much-needed transformational changes in European manufacturing industry.