EIT RawMaterials invites international master’s programmes based in Europe to apply for support in obtaining the EIT Label and to join the EIT RawMaterials Academy. The objective of EIT RawMaterials is to secure a sustainable raw materials supply by driving innovation, education, and entrepreneurship across European industrial ecosystems through connecting business with academia, research, and investment.

The EIT RawMaterials Academy Master School brings together a range of master’s programmes from partner universities across Europe in the field of raw materials, innovation and entrepreneurship with significant input from industry and research organisations and leading higher education institutions.

The Academy’s mission is to introduce society as a whole to the importance and relevance of raw materials and to foster the entrepreneurial and innovation skills, knowledge and attitudes needed for the entre- and intrapreneurs of tomorrow.

The EIT Label is a quality seal awarded by the EIT to educational programmes that build on five groups of quality criteria, including the EIT Overarching Learning Outcomes (EIT OLOs), robust entrepreneurship education, highly integrated innovative curricula, mobility, and outreach strategy and access policy. The programmes combine specialist knowledge with skills that foster innovation and entrepreneurship.

This Call for Applications is to select existing international master’s programmes based in Europe to join the EIT RawMaterials Academy Master School and receive the following support from EIT RawMaterials: marketing and technical assistance, and access to the EIT RawMaterials network. The master’s programmes selected through this call will have the opportunity to develop their innovation and entrepreneurship skills and benefit from extra-curricular activities, summer schools, and bootcamps.

Benefits for EIT Labelled Programmes:

The EIT Label offers several benefits to successful programmes. Once a master’s programme is awarded the EIT Label, it will be fully integrated into the EIT RawMaterials Master School, providing the following benefits:

• A demonstration of the programme's quality and alignment with EIT Overall Learning Outcomes through the award of the EIT Label.
• Increased visibility through EIT RawMaterials’ marketing and student recruitment activities.
• Opportunities for programme staff to network with academic and administrative staff from international master’s programmes in raw materials-related topics from across Europe through bi-annual meetings. EIT RawMaterials will fund travel and accommodation for one administrative representative and one academic representative from each successfully EIT-Labelled programme to attend these meetings.

Benefits for students enrolled in EIT Labelled Programmes:

Upon the successful award of the EIT Label to the master's programme, students enrolled in the programme will be entitled to several benefits, including:

• Upon graduation, students will receive the EIT Label Certificate, recognizing their achievement of innovation and entrepreneurship training in addition to technical education.
• Access to the EIT RawMaterials Alumni network, providing opportunities for students to connect with industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and fellow students from raw materials fields across Europe.
• Participation in EIT Label activities to support their innovation and entrepreneurship training. A full list of eligible activities can be found in the Call Text.

Thematic Scope:

To be eligible for support in EIT Labelling, programmes must focus on one or more of the following thematic areas within the scope of EIT RawMaterials:

• Exploration and raw materials resource assessment
• Mining in challenging environments
• Increased resource efficiency in mineral and metallurgical processes
• Recycling and material chain optimised for End-of-Life products
• Substitution of critical and toxic materials in products and for optimised performance
• Design of products and services for the circular economy.

Selected programmes must also be aligned with one or more of the EIT RawMaterials Lighthouses:

• Responsible sourcing
• Sustainable materials
• Circular societies

Applicant consortia must meet the following criteria:

• Run a master’s degree programme with student recruitment for 2023 and 2024.
• Align with European guidelines for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and be accredited or recognized in all countries of the awarding universities.
• Be delivered by universities established in EU or Horizon Europe eligible countries.
• Mandate international mobility, providing a learning experience for students in at least two different European countries.
• Include a mandatory master thesis project.
• Be taught and assessed in English.
• Already involve non-academic partners, such as industry or research bodies.
• Be financially sustainable, e.g. through institutional, national, or European funds and/or student tuition fees.
• Be able to successfully meet all requirements of the EIT Label for degree programmes, as outlined in the EIT Label Handbook, within the defined timeframe.

Applicants should read the Call for Applications and the “Quality for learning” EIT Quality Assurance and Learning Enhancement Model: EIT Label Handbook for planning, labelling and reviewing degree programmes, Revised Edition (June 2021) carefully before applying. The Call for Applications and EIT Label Handbook are available for below.

The existing master’s programmes within the EIT RawMaterials Academy Master School are presented at https://masters.eitrawmaterials.eu.