Partner Day 2026
7-8 September 2026 | KBR Museum
Welcome to the EIT RawMaterials Partner Day 2026!
Building on the momentum of this year’s EIT RawMaterials Summit, Partner Day 2026 takes place on 7-8 September in Brussels and will provide a focused setting to provide updates on how partners can benefit from funding opportunties, market intelligence, internationaliation and strategy partnerships, and the Academy platforms. Partner Day offers a rich opportunity to exchange with peers, identify new collaboration opportunities, meet the new partners, and shape joint actions that support partner growth and impact across the ecosystem.
Agenda
Day 1 - 7th September
18:30 | Registration & Welcome Drinks
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19:00– 21:30 | Evening Reception |
Day 2 – 8th September | |
08:30 – 9:00 | Coffee and Registration |
09:00 – 9:10 | Introduction and Welcome Emmo Meijer, Chairman of the Executive Board, EIT RawMaterials |
09:10 – 9:35 | State of the Union and Future Opportunities Bernd Schäfer, CEO, Managing Director, EIT RawMaterials, and Christian Ehler, MEP & EPP ITRE Coordinator, European Parliament |
09:35 – 9:55 | Overview of EIT RawMaterials Value Proposition for Partners Didier Zimmermann, Director of Business Development & Funding |
09:55 – 11:00 | Showcasing Value for Partners - Part 1 Funding Opportunities to de-risk innovation: Tina Benda, with Francisco Hernandez Ramirez, VP Innovation & Compliance, Worldsensing, Urs Peuker, Professor for Particle Technology and Mineral Processing, TU Bergakademie Freiberg and Mislav Ćuže, R&D Engineer, DOK-ING
Future Skills for Europe: Aligning Education with Industry Needs: Stephanie Levy,Director of Education and Skills, EIT RawMaterials with Jorge Urios, CIO, Xcalibur, and Guido Sonnemann, Professor, University of Bordeaux
HEI Call 5 spotlight on winning university proposals: Dr. Iakovos V. Yakoumis, CEO and Founder of Monolitos |
11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee Break |
11:30 – 12:30 | Showcasing Value for Partners- Part 2
M2i Platform: From Intelligence to Impact with Antoine Delavenne, Head of Market & Economic Analysis, Eramet and Alessandra Hool, CEO, ESM Foundation and David Merchin, Head of Business Intelligence, EIT RawMaterials
International Business Opportunities with Peter Tom Jones, Director, KU Leuven and Coen de Vos, Business Development Manager, EIT RawMaterials
Financing Innovation through Business Cycles with Nathan Williams, Founder & CEO, Minespider and Antony Slotboom, Access to Finance Director, EIT RawMaterials |
12:30 – 13:45 | Lunch Break |
13:45-14:05
| Showcasing Value for Partners – Part 3
Meet the New Partners: Italrecycling, Novandino (SQM Lithium Europe NV), IFE, Consorzio Italbiotec, Nyrstar |
14:05 – 14:15
| Showcasing Value for Partners – Part 4
SIGNs Overview with Roland Gauß, Innovation and Product Development Director, EIT RawMaterials |
14:15 – 14:55 | Rare Earth Elements & Magnets SIGN: Progress Update and Reverse Pitch Presentations with: Maximillian Fries, COO, Magnotherm Mario Schoenfeldt, Head of Department Magnetic Materials Fraunhofer IWKS José Pinheiro-Torres, CEO, N9VE Nabeel Mancheri, Senior Advisor Rare Earth Materials, EIT RawMaterials |
14:55 – 15:25 | Coffee Break |
15:25 – 16:10 | Green & Circular Metals SIGN Progress Update and Reverse Pitch with Erik Ronne, Research Manager Sustainability, Boliden, and discussion with Pierre Herben, Strategic Adviser, Anglo American, and Laura Mascherette, Strategic Development and Innovation, Erion |
16:10 – 17:05 | Battery Materials SIGN Update with Michel Vanavermaete, Central and West Regional Director, EIT RawMaterials and Andrea Pitillas Martinez, Senior Advisor Battery Materials, EIT RawMaterials multi-partner panel including Wouter Ghyoot, Vice President Government Affairs, Umicore NV and Mahmut Karadas, Chairman, Proses Makina Reverse Pitch with Enrico Roicke, Managing Director, PCC Thorion GmbH |
17:05 – 17:25 | Exploration and Mining SIGN Preview of Launch with Noemi Boldrini, Business Development Manager, Francisco Javier Elorza, Professor, UPM, and Enrico Borella, Public Affairs Manager, Mining, CECE |
17:25 – 17:35 | Wrap-Up and Concluding Remarks |
Agenda may be subject to change, and not all speakers are listed.
Hotels
Stay at one of our participating hotels to benefit from preferred rates, great amenities, and close access to the EIT RawMaterials Partner Days 2026 conference, while making the most of your networking opportunities.
