EU co-funded ERA-MIN Joint Call 2021: Raw materials for sustainable development and circular economy

In the framework of ERA-NET Cofund ERA-MIN 3, the French National Research Agency (ANR) launches, in partnership with 24 funding agencies from 21 different countries, the first joint call of ERA-MIN3 which is co-funded by the European Commission. This call will count with an indicative budget of €19 Million.

Towards a responsible and sustainable approach of raw materials

Era-Net ERA-MIN call 2021 aims at promoting breakthrough solutions to foster the European industrial development via research projects in the field of non-fuel, non-food raw materials, in particular those having limited resources, either intrinsically or for geopolitical reasons. The target is to secure the European raw materials supply, both primary and secondary, by ensuring a responsible and sustainable approach. 

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...).

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-fuel, non-food raw materials. Raw materials concerned by this call are metal ores and industrial materials ; resources can be either primary or secondary, as urban mining or waste of electric and electronic devices (WEEE).

The call is composed of 5 topic:

• Mines exploration, operation and remediation (sub-topic n°1.2: “operation” will not be funded by ANR)
• Conception de nouveaux produits plus efficaces et économes en matières premières critiques, ou avec substitution d’éléments rares ou toxiques ;
• Processing, production and remanufacturing, with increased energy end resource efficiency and valorization of by-products and residues;
• Recycling of end-of-life products, and associated recovery processes, in a circular economy framework
• A cross-cutting topic will cover economic, environmental and social aspects (sous-topic 5.4 « Health and safety issues” will not be funded by ANR)

Call text, including, among more information, the list of Countries and Regions participating at the call, is available at ERA-MIN website as well as on this page.

Partners of the selected projects will be funded directly by their respective national or regional organizations (agencies or departments). As a result, national regulations apply in addition to the transnational rules specific to the call.

In particular French applicants should read carefully the document "Terms for French participants", available on this page.