Project duration: 1 April 2017 – 31 March 2020

Objective

The ElectroFlex project intends to lower the barrier to innovation for customers/companies in the field of electrowinning and electro-separation techniques for complex, low-grade raw materials and residues by offering access to one-of-a-kind, key infrastructures and services organised in a network of top-level universities, research institutes and companies.

The solution (technology)

A single-point-of-contact will be installed to act as coordinator or hub of the network to set-up, manage, operate and promote the network in a transparent and efficient way. In addition the coordinator will install a follow-up process to guide and connect customers to other KAVA activities. De-silo expertise by initiating community building and facilitating a mutual learning process among the partners by sharing best practice at workshops, meetings and through collaborative projects, will lead to excellence of the network at the European and global stage. Smart specialisation will be stimulated by the partners by making an inventory of the available infrastructure within the network, the KIC and Europe and by organising interactions with stakeholders to define their needs and identify gaps in key infrastructure to be filled by the network/KIC in follow-up projects or investments.

Partnership

  • Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek NV – (Flemish Institute for Technological Research NV VITO), Belgium (Lead Partner)
  • Aalto-Korkeakoulusaatio (Aalto University), Finland
  • Chalmers tekniska högskola AB (Chalmers University of Technology), Sweden
  • Ghent University, Belgium
  • Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium
  • Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Germany
  • Stichting Wetsus European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, (Wetsus), The Netherlands
  • Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF), Germany
  • Teknologian tutkimuskeskus VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. VTT), Finland
  • UMICORE NV, Belgium

For more information, please check the project website.