Project duration: 1 January 2021 – 31 July 2025

Objective

AMIR is the only EIT-Labelled Master Programme focused on the theme of recycling. AMIR-LIH will improve teaching offers with regard to the LightHouses (LIH) on Sustainable Materials for Future Mobility and on Raw Materials and Circular Societies. AMIR-LIH will increase the number of students to 48 students per cohort and will be the only programme having two universities for Master 1 studies in RIS countries.

The solution (technology)

Advanced Materials Innovative Recycling focused on LIghHouses – AMIR-LIH – plans for three cohorts of students from 2021 to 2025, thereby increasing the number of students, who will become highly skilled professionals with expertise in various types of materials and their recycling, up to the target of 48 students per cohort. This will be achieved through three entry universities which enrol first year Master students at the University of Bordeaux, the NOVA University Lisbon and now also at the University of Miskolc (see Figure New Master Structure). The latter two were selected as entry universities in order to increase the role of universities from RIS countries in EIT RawMaterials’ Master School and the number of students from these countries in EIT-Labelled Master programmes.
The Master Programme on Advanced Materials Innovative Recycling – AMIR – is one of the six EIT-Labelled Master programmes currently run under the RawMaterials Academy and part of the Master School. This programme was created in 2017 as part of a collaborative process between academia, industry and research organisations in response to a pressing need to develop Europe’s advanced materials recycling capabilities to increase secondary raw material supply to European industry. It combines leading European expertise to deliver a world leading Master programme in the fields of Innovation, Advanced Materials and Recycling.

The AMIR programme works in collaboration with 6 leading European universities in the field representing 6 countries and 4 CLCs, demonstrating a truly geographically diverse consortium – University of Bordeaux, NOVA University Lisbon, TU Darmstadt, University of Liège, Polytechnic University of Madrid and the University of Miskolc. Drawing on the expertise of these universities, AMIR brings together the collaboration of academia, industry and research partners to educate “T-shaped professionals”. On the one hand, this means the programme provides in-depth knowledge in materials science & engineering and a very good understanding of recycling technologies. On the other hand, this knowledge is combined with transferable skills thanks to courses on entrepreneurship & innovation, creativity & leadership, intellectual property & technology intelligence as well as life cycle assessment & sustainability.

In the renewed programme, AMIR will intensify the entrepreneurial opportunities provided to students and contribute to the implementation of the two EIT Raw Materials Lighthouses on Sustainable Materials for Future Mobility and on Raw Materials and Circular Societies. Students will develop a deep entrepreneurship mind-set with the help and expertise of associated businesses, incubators and innovation services as well as a large panel of industries, with whom they will interact in dedicated seminars and obligatory summer schools. And this will also be facilitated by new types of courses where AMIR students work with management students and their participation in the Jumpstarter Programme and the Raw & Circular Economy Expedition (RACE). The renewed Master programme AMIR-LIH will improve the teaching offers related to the lighthouses by several means in all Master 2 programme such as dedicated new modules on battery recycling and soft skills need for the transition to a circular economy. This new expertise will enable the students of the new cohorts to develop, at a large and ambitious scale, new methods for ensuring the recycling of multiple materials used in the Future Mobility and other sectors within Circular Societies.

Partnership

• Spanish National Research Council, Spain
• ArcelorMittal Maizières Research SA, France
• Centre de Recherches Métallurgiques asbl (CRM Group), Belgium
• French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, France
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Germany
• Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
• Technical University of Madrid, Spain
• New University of Lisbon – Faculty of Sciences and Technology (FCT NOVA), Portugal
• Université de Liège, Belgium
• University of Miskolc, Hungary
• Université de Bordeaux (Lead Partner), France

For more information, please visit the project website.

Project duration: 1 January 2019 – 31 December 2021

Objective

The AMIR-RIS project consists of the consolidation and improvement of the AMIR pilot, which attracted 14 students in its first year, and an extension to partners in Hungary and Portugal who belong to the ESEE/RIS regions. AMIR-RIS involves 6 universities, 5 RTOs and 3 companies including Veolia, who provided advice to the programme design. We claim funding dedicated to 2 new cohortes of respectively 32 students.

The consolidated AMIR Master involving 6 European universities, together with 5 RTOs and three representative industrial partners, educates T-shaped professionals for the raw materials recycling industry. They will have extensive knowledge of materials sciences specialized in recycling, and a good understanding of the related processes along the value chain, as well as the concepts and tools for achieving innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability.

The solution (technology)

The programme provides a strong link to key industries and RTOs that offer high-quality internship programmes of a great benefit for each student for tracking the perfect job. By extending the programme to the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and the University of Miskolc, Hungary, the Master covers now a wide range of EU countries, including in Eastern and Southern Europe that are part of the Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS).

Partners

• Université de Bordeaux, France (Lead Partner)
• Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas M.P., CSIC (Spanish National Research Council), Spain
• ArcelorMittal Maizières Research SA, Spain
• Arkema France, France
• Centre de Recherches Métallurgiques asbl (CRM Group), Belgium
• Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, CEA (French Alternative  Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), France
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. (Fraunhofer), Germany
• Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
• Tecnalia Ventures, S.L., Sociedad Unipersonal, Spain
• Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, UPM (Technical University of Madrid), Spain
• Universidade Nova de Lisboa (New University of Lisbon) – Faculty of Sciences and Technology (FCT NOVA), Portugal
• Université de Liège, Belgium
• University of Miskolc, Hungary
• Veolia Recherche et Innovation (VERI), France

For more information, please visit the project website.

Project duration: 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2020

Objective

Educate T-shaped professionals for the full raw materials value chain with a deep expertise in sustainable functional materialsand a deep entrepreneurship mindset.

The solution (technology)

AMIS will tackle the theme substitution of critical or toxic materials in products and for optimised performance. It will also cover material chain optimisation for end-of-life products, and product and services design for the circular economy — all of which are central themes of the EIT RawMaterials. The primary focus of the adaptation is on metal and mineral raw materials. Bio-base and polymer materials are covered in view of their substitution potential and other materials in the context of multi-material product recycling. In addition, the AMIS programme includes a solid package of courses and project work in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Partnership

• Institut polytechnique de Grenoble (Grenoble Institute of Technology, INP), France (Lead Partner)
• Aalto-Korkeakoulusaatio (Aalto University), Finland
• ArcelorMittal Maizières Research SA, France
• Arkema, France
• Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), France
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. (Fraunhofer), Germany
• Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum vzw, IMEC (Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre), Belgium
• Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
• Université de Bordeaux, France
• Université de Liège, France

For more information, please visit the project website.

Project duration: 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2024

Objective

AMIS is an EIT-labelled Master programme. Its objective is to educate students in materials science with a focus on substitution of critical & toxic materials and to give them a broad vision on the full raw materials value chain. Thanks to an innovative curriculum in line with the EIT RawMaterials strategy and including a solid I&E component, students will act as game changers to find innovative & sustainable solutions towards a circular economy.

The solution (technology)

AMIS is an international Master programme in Advanced Materials for Innovation and Sustainability. The primary objective of the programme is to educate students in materials science with a focus on substitution of critical and toxic materials and to give them a broad vision on the full raw materials value chain. AMIS involves five renowned university partners and three industrial partners and RTOs. Thanks to an innovative curriculum in line with the EIT Raw Materials strategy and including a solid I&E component, AMIS graduates will act as game changers to find innovative and sustainable solutions to achieve a circular economy helping European society to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Partnership

• Aalto University, Finland
• ArcelorMittal France, France
• French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, France
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Germany
• Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany
• Université de Bordeaux, France
• Université de Liège, Belgium
• Grenoble Institute of Technology, INP (Lead Partner), France

For more information, please visit the project web page.

Project duration: 1 January 2016 – 31 December 2016

Objective

The project provides a better base for decision makers such as local and regional political actors to raise the European society awareness of the circular economy and to provide a better transparency for European citizens in the raw materials field.

The solution (technology)

Regional workshops and one European workshop will be executed.

Partnership

• Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Germany (Lead Partner)
• Bay Zoltan Nonprofit Ltd. for Applied Research, Hungary
• Geological Survey of Slovenia, GeoZS, Slovenia
• Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium
• TU Clausthal (Clausthal University of Technology), Germany
• Université de Liège, Belgium

For more information, please visit the project web page.

Project duration: 1 January 2017 – 31 December 2017

Objective

The project objective is to invite top-notch speakers to deliver an advanced training in the field of hydrometallurgy with a special focus on strategic metals. The audience would be targeted on R&D; researchers from university, research centre and industrial partners carrying on research on non-ferrous metal recycling. A one week (five days) training session will be organised in Liège during 2017. The foreseen learning outcomes are a better fundamental understanding of physicochemical phenomenon governing any hydrometallurgical processes.

The solution (technology)

The expected direct impacts are a better design of experimentation plans, a better interpretation of experimental results, a higher perception of potentials technological bottleneck or threats regarding the developments of a new process. Consecutive indirect impacts should be time and costs savings during implementation of hydrometallurgy related research projects

Partnership

• Université de Liège, Belgium (Lead Partner)
• Atlantic Copper S.L.U., Spain
• Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières, BRGM (The French geological survey), France
• ERAMET Research, France
• National Technical University of Athens, Greece

Project duration: 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2019

Objective

Most of the time raw materials are taken for granted. Often, civil society does not consider the consequences of the make-take-dispose consumption model of products which use certain raw materials for their functioning. The AWARD project aims to lead school pupils to a better understanding of their relationship to materials and stimulate an individual reflection on the crucial importance of raw materials.

The solution (technology)

Two documentaries will be produced based on the question “What happens if a specific raw material suddenly disappears from the Earth?”. They will sketch all the consequences on our daily life from economic, environmental, and social perspectives – the three pillars of sustainability. Complementing the documentaries and facilitating deeper learning, workshop packages will be organized and the teachers will be coached to organize them by themselves in the future. Moreover, hands-on toolkits will be used to ensure the concrete aspect of the workshop. As a follow-up, editors and young entrepreneurs will be proposed to produce and distribute the developed tools; this can be specifically delegated to the EIT RM materials entrepreneurship and innovation partners. Workshop reports and testimonials of workshops will be presented to the education governing bodies in each partner’s country to demonstrate success stories and generate support for adoption of this topic and its possible integration in education programs in the future.

Partnership

• Bay Zoltan Nonprofit Ltd. for Applied Research
• EIT Raw Materials GmbH
• Geological Survey of Slovenia, GeoZS
• Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (KU Leuven)
• Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen, RWTH Aachen
• TU Clausthal (Clausthal University of Technology)
• Université de Liège
• Wuppertal Institut fuer Klima, Umwelt, Energie GmbH (Wuppertal Institute)

Project duration: 1 January 2019 – 31 December 2020

Objective

In Europe, Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) is one of the fastest growing waste streams with high metal and impurity concentrations. Critical raw materials (CRMs) – defined in Europe as materials important to European economy but at the same time associated with supply risks – are used extensively in electronics. The concentrations of most CRMs in ores is limited and the environmental footprint of their use is quite high. Today, the biggest bottleneck for efficient recycling of small household devices and telecommunication equipment is that a large share of devices is stored at homes and end-up in unknown destinations, instead of dedicated recycling schemes. As a consequence, valuable raw materials are lost.

The solution (technology)

The focus of the project will be on education and involvement of school children, both to raise the awareness of end-of-life electronics as a resource, and through them to bring the message into families and the society as whole. The aim of the project is to increase the share of waste ending up in official take-back systems instead of loosing the resource to waste disposal or incineration plants and collection outside official take-back systems.

The project will create new types of education materials co-designed with young people to reach their peers and to involve young people in planning collection campaigns for the end-of-life electronics. The idea is to engage school teachers to be involved in new learning topics, and to distribute information on the circular economy of end-of-life electronics in primary, secondary schools and also high education schools (in Finland) in novel, interesting forms (e.g. games and videos or phenomenon based learning). The main target group for the project is school children with open minds for actions and interest to protect the environment. Besides the school teachers, also university students will be trained to act as envoys in schools. The project will provide the recycling companies, associations and municipalities with new ideas from the pupils for arrangement of campaigns in schools or in society based on feedback from school children.

Partnership

• EIT Raw Materials GmbH
• Fondazione Bruno Kessler
• Hub Innovazione Trentino – Fondazione (HIT)
• Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (KU Leuven)
• Relight S.R.L.
• Technische Universiteit Delft (Delft University of Technology)
• Teknologian tutkimuskeskus VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. VTT)
• Università degli Studi di Trento

For more information, please visit the project website.

Project duration: 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2021

Objective

The solution (technology)

Teaching material will be tailored for primary schools, and cover innovation themes of the EIT RawMaterials like mining, processing and recycling, complete with a train-the-trainer programme for teachers. BetterGeoEdu brings a unique and innovative way of teaching raw materials to primary schools using a game known and loved by millions.

Partnership

• Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU), Sweden (Lead Partner)
• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy
• Geological Survey of Slovenia (GeoZS), Slovenia
• Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria
• Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia
• Trinity College Dublin – The Provost, Fellows, Foundation Scholars, and the other members of Board, of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, Ireland
• Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, UPM (Technical University of Madrid), Spain
• Université de Liège, Belgium

For more information, please visit the project website.