On 24 September and 25 September, the Kickoff Workshop for the five new RawMatCop 2018-2020 projects selected for funding in the 1^st Call for proposals took place at the EIT House in Brussels on the 24^th and 25^th of September.

The workshop was attended not only by the individual post-doctoral and placement project researchers, but also by members of EIT RawMaterials’ education and business development teams and a representative from the European Commission DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW).

At the workshop, the RawMatCop project researchers were given an overview of the goals and activities of the RawMatCop Programme 2018-2020, the role of RawMatCop in EIT RawMaterials and its RawMaterials Academy, and the Copernicus Sectoral Skills Programme. The workshop was also an opportunity for the RawMatCop researchers to present their projects, focusing on their innovative applications of Earth Observation/Copernicus data and services to the raw materials sector.

Most importantly, the workshop was a chance for the participants to meet each other and exchange views and experiences to establish collaboration and cooperation between projects and develop plans for maximizing the profile and impact of their projects and the RawMatCop programme as a whole.