The AM-ACTS project aims at demonstrating the feasibility of using active microfluidic cooling for enhancing the performance of thermal protection systems fabricated from ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) and refractory metals for use in aerospace, energy-generation and many other engineering applications. For this purpose, novel actively cooled thermal shields (ACTS) will be developed (starting at TRL?2 and targeting TRL?4) consisting of additively manufactured high temperature ceramic- and/or metal-based thermal protection elements containing an internal, bioinspired microchannel network. Unlike conventional Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) relying on passive thermal insulation provided intrinsically by the materials employed in their construction, the proposed alternative will enable active refrigeration of the material/s used as a shield via the circulation of an appropriate coolant through the internal microchannel network and, eventually, their release to the surrounding environment to produce transpiration-film cooling. The temperature reduction in the materials of the shield thus achieved will enable an increase in the maximum service temperature of the system and/or expanding the service lifetime of the thermal shields at a given operating temperature. An increase of the maximum service temperature will translate into increased energy efficiency on turbines and rocket engines, for example, and augmented service lifetime will facilitate reusability, reduce the maintenance costs and minimize waste, all of it contributing to increased sustainability and reduced environmental impact in all the multiple potential applications of these shields. Such increase in the service lifetime will come through a reduction in the oxidation and degradation rates of the materials as a consequence of the temperature reduction provided by the active cooling. Selection of the optimal cooling agent and the required flow to minimize such degradation rate will be a key goal of the AM-ACTS project. Optimization of the design of the microchannel network with the aid of numerical simulations will also be essential for that purpose too. Also key to the successful implementation of the project will be the development of appropriate and reliable UHTCs and superalloy feedstocks for the different AM processes to be used in the fabrication of the ACTS. Moreover, the project aims at optimizing the performance of the ACTS pieces through an optimization of its constituent materials. The material properties of the individual UHTCs plates will be maximized through optimizing their composition, refining the microstructure and the incorporation of reinforcements. These composite elements will exhibit enhanced mechanical performance in terms of strength and toughness, and enhanced erosion and oxidation resistance. Composition of the metallic phases will also be optimized in terms of corrosion resistance by applying protective coatings and by combining the refractory alloys with UHTCs in multi-material AM constructs. The incorporation of a microchannel network will also contribute to producing lightweight structures that could further contribute to the energy efficiency of the system, especially in aerospace applications. Sustainable and flexible fabrication technologies such as additive manufacturing (AM), and low-energy sintering processes like spark plasma sintering (SPS) and microwave sintering for sustainability will also contribute significantly to the environmental and efficiency goals .The key enabling technologies developed within this project will facilitate the design and manufacture of new structural materials for advanced thermal engineering applications with the potential to revolutionize multiple areas of high socio-economic interest (e.g. aerospace, energy generation, chemical industries, etc.), and enable the development of novel applications, opening up new market niches.