Europe’s industry and economy depend on a secure access to many commodities. In 2020, the EC updated its list of critical non-energy non-agricultural raw materials (CRMs), based on scarcity of supply and importance to EU industry. Today, the list includes: Antimony, Fluorspar, Magnesium, Silicon Metal, Baryte, Gallium, Natural Graphite, Tantalum, Bauxite, Germanium, Natural Rubber, Titanium, Beryllium, Hafnium, Niobium, Vanadium, Bismuth, HREEs, PGMs, Tungsten, Borates, Indium, Phosphate rock, Strontium, Cobalt, Lithium, Phosphorus, Coking Coal, LREEs, Scandium. Securing sustainable access to CRM, is of high importance for the EU economy. However, the EU is confronted with a number of technological and environmental challenges along the entire production value chain of primary and secondary raw materials. NetHelix demonstrates in real life settings a toolbox of new technologies for automating and streamlining the extraction process, taking advantage of deposits through mining and waste deposits processing methods, maximising efficiency, reducing waste production, and increasing environmental and huma health and safety.

CRUSADE upscales novel technologies to TRL7 integrated in a universal hydrometallurgical method to recycle up to 500 tn/year of spent automotive components (autocatalysts, fuel cells, batteries and printed circuit boards) from end-of-life vehicles and recover ca 40 tn/year of critical raw materials (Cu, C, Co, Mn, Ni, Pt, Pd, Rh, Li, Ru) at commercial specifications. The project leverages predeveloped technologies to establish a market ready pilot unit utilising novel concepts for material tracing using blockchain (AKO, SAISLAB, ENTE) and pan European collection network establishment from the pioneers of the automotive components manufacturers (SUN, ADV, CRF, MONO, ACU) which guarantee the long term sustainable operation of the unit. The material processing covers the whole chain from pre-treatment using validated technologies from the experts on the CRMs recovery (MONO, TUBAF, KUL) and upstream processing using a microwave assisted leaching methodology enabling a 15-80% lower CO2 emission process (depending on the feed), compared to commercial processing. High specification market ready materials are prepared as outputs of the project undergoing a downstream purification and recovery process using solvent extraction and electrowinning, guided by industrial standards for end-use applications, while validated and benchmarked during the course of the project in new automotive products. The processing is automated aiming to a 15% time reduction compared to current processes with the use of an industrial robot and artificial technology guiding the sorting and the hydrometallurgical treatment (Industry 4.0 concept). The materials are commercialised at 15% lower price compared to market standards due to the automated innovative cost efficient processing, CAPEX/OPEX reaching max 70% of product cost (average 30% gross profit margin depending on feed).

EURO-TITAN will be a pioneer in unlocking continuous Ti resources from metallurgical waste streams from alumina and Ti-dioxide production, developing 54 ktpy of Ti metal making Europe totally independent from Russian Ti-metal sponges imports crucial for alloy production in the transport and medical sectors. On this purpose an industrial driven consortium gaining experience from previous and ongoing projects for metals exctraction from industrial wastes (Scavanger,Scale, Scale Up,Valore) will develop a >90% lower CO2 emission (compared to the conventional Kroll process which produces 10tn per tn of Ti) green hydrogen sourced(ref-hyd) direct Ti reduction process will be scaled to demonstration in the industrial environment at the Bosnian Al-plant to produce tailor-made Ti-metal products for ingots or alloying. Our Ti-metal price will be 15% lower compared to imported ones (rough estimate 6800 €/t Ti compared to current prices from Russia and China at 8500 €/t). Process optimization will be achieved through integration of inline-real time data monitoring, establishing repository of high-quality and trusted datasets, and embedding Artificial Intelligence. This will lead to a 10% reduction of on-site energy and water consumption, while at the same time minimizing production interruption. Finally, circularity is ensured, as the remaining residues are converted into innovative (30% lower co2 emissions compared to cement based) construction materials while water will be recycled, and excess heat energy will serve local households.

Contemporary entrepreneurial ecosystems in the RIS (EIT Regional Innovation Scheme) countries largely remain underdeveloped with moderate innovation capacity, a fact often evidenced by the “brain drain” of local talents. The numbers of entrepreneurial student teams, and consequently the innovation development level in RIS Countries are still relatively low. The operation of 7 Incubators of EIT RawMaterials since 2019 in RIS Countries has validated this insufficiency and the lack of uniformity of the national entrepreneurial ecosystems indicating the need for enrichment and support for organic growth. The proposed project, Green Alternatives for European Autonomy (GAEA) Challenge, outlines the implementation of a coherent program for youth employability to reinforce regional entrepreneurial ecosystems by engaging students and local talents in regional and interregional idea competitions. Building on the successful experience of the Greentech Challenge in Greece, GAEA will go beyond the current state-of-the-art a) by widening the conceptual scope of challenges to address to include the dimension of the European autonomy reinforcement within an international context influenced by the war in Ukraine and b) by interconnecting regional ecosystems in a cross-cultural initiative designed to last beyond the 28 months period of the project. GAEA's ambition is to enhance entrepreneurial skills of youth in moderate innovation ecosystems by bringing together educational institutions & private companies in a mutually beneficial way, ultimately boosting entrepreneurial ecosystems growth in EU countries that mostly need it. The project will unfold in two stages, regional & interregional, mobilizing and connecting regional entrepreneurial ecosystems around student ideas and projects that will reach to the market in eight countries (EL, LT, SK, LV, HU, CZ, SE, RS and PL), improving innovation flows among the regions and consolidating this knowledge through accelerated projects.

Critical minerals and elements are highly significant for Europe's economy, particularly within strategic sectors. However, the demand for new, often essential materials conflicts with the decreasing activity in primary raw material mining. As a result, there is an impending need to fulfil these demands within European borders, reducing reliance on third countries. This was recently reflected in the European Raw Materials Act as a clear necessity from the EU, being a potential solution the use of green and non-invasive technologies to recover and refine CRMs. Besides this, it is known that the reserves and productions of mineral resources in Slovakia are mainly located in Kosice region (46% Slovak geological reserves), thereby, enhanced networking and positioning activities between TUKE and the top-class leading research institutions are needed in order to close the still apparent research and innovation gap within the EU. Furthermore, TUKE is a distinguished mining university and serves as the primary reference centre within Slovakia, which will be boosted and reinforced in three main strategy lines through several learning tools and materials. These will be focused on: 1) exploration, recovery and mining monitoring exploitation, 2) capacity to drive sustainability, circularity and social assessment 3) Strengthening TUKE’s research management & coordination capacities, and administrative skills. The WIDEX implementation will include the creation of a new cluster in Central Europe, an excellent Virtual Centre, as well as a Stakeholder platform around the green and non-invasive technologies ecosystem, and a WIDEX’s WHITEBOOK based on the lessons learned.