ERA-MIN 2 - Raw materials for sustainable development and circular economy

In the framework of ERA-NET Cofund ERA-MIN2, ANR launches, in partnership with other 21 funding agencies from 17 different countries, its first Call for projects on non-agricultural non-energy raw materials, for a total amount of 15 M€.

The European industrial development needs raw materials having often limited resources, either intrinsically or for geopolitical reasons. The steady increase in consumption of this type of raw materials for several technological applications, including electronics and mobiles, implies that Europe must be able to secure its supply. Industries should increase the efficient use of these resources, or even substitute them with other elements allowing their products to keep an equivalent or improved functionality. Moreover, all these processes must be designed and progressively integrated in a framework of circular economy. Research efforts are therefore needed at each stage of the value chain (exploration, design, use and recycling...) with the main target of allowing in the near future a supply in non-agricultural non-energetic primary or secondary raw material both secure for the industry, and responsible and sustainable for society.

A Call for projects focused on 5 main topics

The objective of this Call is to help the promotion of a research community, academic and industrial, today too fragmented at European level. Research activities may focus on a wide range of topics along the value chain in the domain of non-agricultural non-energy raw materials.  Raw materials concerned by this call are metal ores, construction materials and industrial materials; resources can be either primary or secondary, as urban mining or waste of electric and electronic devices (WEEE).

The call will feature 5 main topics: