/Call for Innovation & Education Projects

Call for Innovation & Education Projects

Together we can shape a strong, sustainable raw materials sector in Europe

Europe has set an ambitious goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. It must develop alternative ways to gain more secure and sustainable access to strategic critical raw materials. The EU has the raw materials; therefore, an immense opportunity lies before Europe to develop domestic sourcing of raw materials and meet the rapidly increasing demand for its key industrial value chains.

 

The European Green Deal and the Critical Raw Materials Act have put a tremendous spotlight on the raw materials sector to deliver innovation, education and new technologies at an unprecedented pace and scale. It will cause an industrial shift that puts the environment, societal responsibility for our human capital and efficient governance at the centre of every business model practice. This transformation will lead to scales of innovation not seen before and will turn the industry into a powerhouse of innovation and change.

Europe must transition on all levels to adopt clean energy technologies and drive digitalisation, automation and electrification. All elements of the raw materials sector’s supply chains, from mineral extraction to recycling, digitalisation and data intelligence, as well as product and process, must be reconsidered and reconfigured, leaving behind our traditional methodologies, systems and approaches.

As a result, the industry will become more purpose-driven, where circular economy, environment, recycling and sustainable design will be popular motivators that will improve the lives of Europeans.

The EIT RawMaterials Call for Innovation, Education, and RIS Projects offers funding to project consortiums from industry, research and education to upscale solutions linked to a sustainable raw materials value chain in Europe. There are also funding opportunities for modern education programmes to skill and train a new generation of talented and entrepreneurial minds, empowering them to be a driving force in Europe’s raw materials sector.

About EIT RawMaterials

The EIT RawMaterials Innovation Community is building a pan-European innovation ecosystem on raw materials that are essential for Europe’s open strategic autonomy.

Mariya Gabriel, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria and Minister of Foreign Affairs (former European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth)

Established in 2015

300+ partners

220+ innovations launched on the market

600+ startups supported

€330M+ investment attracted by startups

400+ graduates from EIT-labelled Masters programmes

EIT RawMaterials is the world’s largest raw materials consortium with over 300 partners and provides a collaborative environment for disruptive and breakthrough innovations by connecting business with academia, research, and investment. It also invests in future generations of innovators for the raw materials sector through initiatives ranging from education of school students to higher qualifications for industry professionals.

The latest success stories from the EIT RawMaterials community:

Bind-X

EIT RawMaterials supported Bind-X, an SME that provides the mining sector through an innovative, patented, and sustainable dust control product with a twofold value proposition: a 35% cost reduction over the cheapest alternatives and an improved environmental performance. With this it helps mining companies to reduce water consumption, CO2 emissions (due to less traffic) and waste (especially white pollution). It further improves overall health and safety, helps operators of mines comply with local legislation, and it improves community relations.

Valore

The VALORE project aims to upscale a novel and patented process for the recovery of Vanadium and Gallium as by-products from an alumina refinery, showing superior selectivity of both metals. The project will help to de-risk the domestic EU supply of both Vanadium and Gallium in particular and it will safeguard important industrial value chains and jobs (e.g. EU Aluminium industry). In the frame of the project, pilot scale production will be done in an industrial environment for commercialization planned gradually from 2025 onwards.

ESiLib

With the battery performance that plays a vital role in the adoption of e-vehicles, this project aims the substitution of graphite by silicon in battery anodes, that has the potential to reduce weight and volume by 40% and enable 5-fold faster charging whilst keeping the same capacity. With the support of EIT RawMaterials, E-Magy, a scale up company, has demonstrated that its nano-porous silicon, that can be used in different battery technologies including Gen 3a, 3b and 4a.

AMIR

EIT Raw Materials has supported the development of the AMIR Master Programme that explores the raw materials value chain, particularly focusing on recycling. This programme that is a perfect illustration of the knowledge triangle integration: six university partners, five research partners, and three big industry partners (ArcelorMittal, Arkema, Veolia) . AMIR Master programme been EIT labeled in 2018, it obtained the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) label in 2022 and was in the same year included in the Top 10 Unique Study Programmes by the European Commission.

ReLieVe

This project supported by EIT RawMaterials has delivered the up-scaling of an innovative closed-loop process to recycle Li-ion batteries from electric vehicles to supply Europe with critical raw materials required for battery manufacturing. Two industry leaders along the value chain have partnered in this high-performant process, from LIB collection, dismantling, and black mass production by SUEZ, going to leaching, purification, and production to battery grade products by Eramet. This project which obtained 80 M€ in 2022 from Innovation funds and BPI France for the implementation of the industrial pilot plant will have a strong economic impact in the EU with the implementation of a recycling plant for EoL batteries in the North of France in operations in 2027.

Who can apply

All organisations that are eligible for funding under the Horizon Europe programme can apply.

You do not have to be an existing partner organisation of EIT RawMaterials to apply for funding, but by becoming one, you will gain access to a valuable source of expertise and potential collaborators. They will work with you and help build your consortium if, or when, you decide to apply for funding.

We also encourage our partners and stakeholders from industry, research, and education, including start-ups and SMEs, to submit new project proposals. These projects should demonstrate how they will impact significantly on European industrial competitiveness, innovation capacity, and human capital, as well as empower students and entrepreneurs advancing the circular economy and the green and digital transition goals of the European Green Deal.

Strengthening sustainable innovation ecosystems across Europe

EIT RawMaterials Lighthouse programmes reflect the most pressing needs of the raw materials value chain.

  • Responsible Sourcing Lighthouse leads the innovation in mineral exploration, responsible sourcing and processing of raw materials for Europe’s green future.
  • Sustainable Materials Lighthouse guides innovation in the making, using, and recycling of sustainable and cost-efficient raw materials for future green mobility and energy.
  • Circular Societies Lighthouse fosters innovation in the radical shift to a circular economy and society enabling economic growth and carbon-neutrality.

Investing in novel education and disruptive innovation

Disruptive innovations in the raw materials sector will bring transformative breakthroughs for a greener future. New research and deployment of the latest technology, as well as the introduction of sustainability and ESG practice, will shape the world’s leading raw materials sector in Europe and attract young talents, and EIT RawMaterials will support their scaling up.

Europe aims to become a global innovation powerhouse. Higher Education institutions will become a hotspot for future talent developing deep tech solutions to global challenges. In fact, EIT RawMaterials will support the mission to skill up 1 million students in Deep Tech by 2025. EIT RawMaterials will support new project proposals for Higher Education activities for professionals already working in the raw materials sector.

The Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) remains a strong focus of our Call for Innovation & RIS Capacity Projects (KAVA 12). RIS projects are a platform for fostering collaboration and boosting innovation in the RIS countries and regions. Please note, all submitted proposals should support financial sustainability.

EIT RawMaterials Innovation Hubs, together with the Education and Innovation team, is your point of contact for any additional information on the new call.

Thematic Scope

Exploration

Mining and processing

Future exploration, mining, and processing technologies

Innovation in the substitution of critical, toxic, and low-performance materials

Additive manufacturing of materials

Resource efficient design of materials

Industrial symbiosis

Design for recycling and life-time extension

End-of-life product recycling

Chain of custody

Important deadlines

Proposal registration : Wednesday, 31st January 2024, at 13:00 CET

DRAFT proposal submission for Upscaling and RIS activities : Wednesday, 31st January 2024, at 13:00 CET

FINAL proposal submission for Education proposals : Wednesday, 31st January 2024, at 13:00 CET

FINAL proposal submission for Upscaling and RIS activities : Wednesday, 29th May 2024, at 13:00 CET

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