RAWMINA Project: Innovative EU-funded Critical Raw Materials project to hold final conference in October 22-23
The European Union faces increasing challenges around the supply of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) that are essential for energy transition; both for the development of renewable energies and for new energy storage systems.
To meet these challenges, the RAWMINA project was launched in 2021 with the aim of developing an innovative pilot system of sustainable and efficient processes for extracting these essential materials from existing mine waste resources.
RAWMINA is made up of an international consortium consisting of 19 specialist partners from 10 countries across the EU, UK and South America. The €9 million Horizon-Europe funded project has seen collaboration on this pioneering project aimed at extracting CRMs from European mine waste, and helping to increase EU market value by reducing dependence on external CRM markets.
Now entering its final phase, The RAWMINA project will hold its final conference in Barcelona.
The conference, co-organised by LEITAT and the Autonomous University of Barcelona will serve as an interactive showcase featuring: Tech Deep-dive sessions; High-level circular economy strategy talks; Round table discussions; Early researchers’ symposium; High-level scientific conferences; CRMs recovery Helix Event; End-users and Funding Opportunities workshops; Cluster sessions showing collaborative achievements, as well as Brainstorming the future directions of CRM recovery.
Project coordinator Diego Morillo Martín from LEITAT sees the conference as an excellent culmination of the collaborative efforts by a consortium of specialists dedicated to a bright and more sustainable future.
“This event will be a great opportunity for attendees to learn about the RAWMINA project and the achievements made, which are of great relevance. Additionally, the conference will be a multidisciplinary event in which not only results from the scientific field will be presented, but also policies related to this field will be discussed, and future funding opportunities at a national and international level”.
“RAWMINA has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of a continuous and industrially scalable system that combines multiple innovative technologies for efficient and sustainable metal recovery from mine waste. This sets a new standard for the mining industry and underscores the potential for circular economy practices”.
“By fostering dialogue with stakeholders and the public, we aim to build trust and support for sustainable mining practices and encourage cooperation and market development”.
Impact acceleration manager Marco Lopes from project partner Crowdhelix notes that RAWMINA has been the flagship project of their Raw Minerals Helix.
“The Raw Minerals Helix is an international Open Innovation community of specialists in CRMs recovery and related disciplines. It serves as a hub where researchers, industry actors, ethics specialists and policy makers can connect and collaborate”.
“We are proud to support the RAWMINA project’s ambition to foster a truly collaborative ecosystem. In achieving this ambition, RAWMINA is contributing towards efforts to increase the circular economy in the mining sector, as well as to generate knowledge, technology and best practices”.
CRMs are crucial for prosperous economic and strategic sectors, such as manufacturing batteries, construction tools, sensors and electronic devices, medical devices and metals, and are required across the wider automotive, defence and renewable energy sectors. The RAWMINA final conference provides a valuable opportunity to engage with top professionals and build valuable connections, learn from expert speakers and cutting-edge presentations, and to discover the latest advancements in critical raw materials recovery and resource efficiency.
The RAWMINA Conference allows for a number of participants’ opportunities, including poster presentations, early researchers’ symposium and brokerage session.
Conference registration is now open here.