SIGN Stuttgart Conference
EIT RawMaterials Event

Rare Earths and Magnets - Expanding the European capacities

Oct 29 - 30, 2025

Mercedes-Benz Museum

Rare Earths

Agenda

Subject to change and updates

Day 1 - 29 October

09:00 – 9:25

Moderator: Roland Gauss, Innovation Director, EIT RawMaterials

 

Inaugural address: 

Bernd Schäfer, CEO, Managing Director, EIT RawMaterials 

Dider Zimmermann, Director of Business Development & Fundraising, EIT RawMaterials

 

09.25-10.00

Opening session 

  • Rodolfo Miranda, Director, IMDEA Nanoscience 

Speakers:

  • Gabriel Nievoll, Policy Officer, DG Grow European Commission

  • Jean-Baptiste Fauvel, Policy Officer, DG INTPA, European Commission

  • Pierre Braun, Policy Officer DG Trade, European Commission

10:00 – 10.30

Fireside Chat: Magnets made in Europe, Alexander Barcza, VP Permanent Magnets, Vacuumschmelze 

10:30 – 11.00

Coffee Break

11.00 – 11.20

Permanent magnet applications in the automotive sector, 

Speaker:  

  • Michael Southcott, Manager, S&P Global

11.20 – 11.40

Rare earths criticality: Key trends in magnetic materials

Speaker:

  • Oliver Gutfleisch, Professor, TU Darmstadt

11.40 – 12:00

High-performance ferrite magnets and pilot scale manufacturing 

Speakers:

  • Paolo Bernardi, R&D Manager, ILPEA

  • Karla Kosmač, Head of Development, Kolektor

 

12.00 – 12:30

Manganese-based magnets and their application potential

Speaker:

  • Martin Dopler, Technical Director, METALPINE

  • Semih Ener, Research Scientist, TU Darmstadt

12.30 – 14.30

Lunch + Mercedes Museum Visit

14.30 – 15.30

Motor applications of new innovative magnetic materials

 Speakers:

  • Fabio Scaffidi Muta, Material Specialist, Centro Ricerche FIAT ScpA, Group Stellantis

  • Martin Krengel, Head of magnet development and prototyping, WILO SE

  • Matthias Schmude, Technology Project Manager, WILO

     

15.30 – 16.00

CRM4EU Cluster and introduction of projects

  • MAGELLAN - Alexandre Damiens, Head of development and industrial partnerships, Orano Group

  • REEsilience - Carlo Burkhardt, Professor, Pforzheim University

  • GREENE - Kristina Žužek, Magnetic Materials Group Leader, Jožef Stefan Institute

  • HARMONY – Maëva Pratlong, Senior Project Manager, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum

  • REEPRODUCE - Felipe Guerrero, Business Developer, JGI Hydro Metal and Rare Earths Recycling

 

 

16.00 – 16.30 

Coffee Break 

16.30 – 16.50 

The Mercedes Modular Architecture for BEV and HEV

Speaker:  

  • Daniel Hopp, Senior Manager Electric Drive Systems, Mercedes-Benz  

16.50 – 17.10

The strategic pathway to diversified and de-risked magnet supply chains in the European Circular Economy

Speakers:

  • Nabeel MancheriSenior Advisor Rare Earth Materials, EIT RawMaterials 

  • Roland Gauss, Innovation and Product Development Director, EIT RawMaterials

17.10 – 18.00

EU strategic projects: The way forward

 

Moderator: Luis Alberto Tercero, Head of Business Unit Raw Materials, Fraunhofer Institute

Speakers:

  • Gabriel Nievoll, Policy Officer, DG Grow, European Commission

  • David Högnelid, VP, LKAB

  • Franck Fajardie, Sustainable Development Director, Carester

  • Sergio Scala, Head of Strategy, Itelyum

  • Will Dawes, CEO, Mkango Resources 

18.00 – 18.10

Closing remarks 

18.30 – 21.00

Reception and Dinner

Day 2 – 30 October

8.45 – 09.05

European business in rare earth materials 

Speaker:

  • Benoit Richebe, Project Director for Rare Earths / Magnets, ORANO

09.05 – 09.35

Securing raw materials for Europe: International partnerships

Speakers:

  • Didier ZimmermannDirector of Business Development & Fundraising, EIT RawMaterials 

  • Jean-Baptiste Fauvel, Policy Officer, DG INTPA, European Commission

09.35 – 10.25

An alternative pricing mechanism to build a European rare earth value chain - Pros and cons 

 

Moderator: Lee Constable, Founder & CEO, Critical Minerals Tomorrow Limited

Speakers: 

  • Alexander Barcza, VP, Vaccumschmelze

  • Erick Petit, CEO ,MagREEsource

  • Jun Shi, Chief Expert Raw Materials, Brose

  • Tore Malo Ødegård, CFO, Rare Earths Norway 

10.25 – 11.55

JRC-DG Grow Joint Workshop on Permanent magnet recyclability and recycled content under the Critical Raw Materials Act

Moderated by: 

  • Gabriel Nievoll, Policy officer, DG Grow

  • Nacef TaziScientific officer, JRC, European Commission 

11.55 – 12.15

Smart Minds: EIT RawMaterials and Advanced Materials Academies

Speaker:

  • Jan Eggert, Head of business development, EIT RawMaterials 

12.15 – 13.15 

Lunch  

13.15 – 16.30

Mercedes-Benz assembly plant tour 

16.00 – 18.00 

SIGN Core Group Meeting (invitation only) 


Hotels

Stay at one of our participating hotels to benefit from preferred rates, great amenities, and close access to the Rare Earths and Magnets – Expanding the European Capacities conference, while making the most of your networking opportunities.

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