A New Vision for EU Materials Research and Innovation

Yesterday (11 April 2016) saw the launch of the website for the VERAM project. This exciting new Horizon 2020 funded project will produce a new Vision and Roadmap for European raw materials research and innovation. VERAM is a unique coordination project that links two European Technology Platforms (ETPs) in minerals and forestry and two European Research Areas (ERA-NETs). And SusChem is involved too. With a total budget of €1.4 million to be implemented over a period of 30 months, the project kicked off in December 2015 and will complete its work by 31 May 2018.

The VERAM project will produce a Vision and Roadmap for European Raw Materials to 2050 based on the coordination of raw materials research and innovation. At the heart of this collaboration are two of our fellow ETPs: ETP SMR on Sustainable Minerals Resources and FTP (Forest Technology Platform). They are supported in their efforts by the ECTP (European Construction Technology Platform) represented by Università Politecnica dells Marche - UNIVPM, EuMaT (Advanced Materials ETP) represented by Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek - VITO, and by SusChem represented by the European Chemica Industry Council - Cefic.

In addition the ERA-NETs WoodWisdomNet (represented in the project by Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe – FNR – from Germany) and ERA‐Min (represented by the French National Centre for Scientific Research – CNRS) will link to national research funding activities and four well-known research institutes - D’Appolonia SPA from Italy, Germany's Forschunszentrum Juelich - FZ Juelich, Fundacion Technalia Research and Innovation - Tecnalia from Spain, and Teknologian tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy - VTT from Finland - complete the partnership.

This unique and formidable partnership provides VERAM with a vast range of expertise including downstream applications and additional knowledge on secondary raw materials.

VERAM vision
VERAM will look to the future economic development of the European Union (EU) and will deliver a long-term 2050 vision and roadmap for non-food, non-energy raw material including wood, metals, industrial minerals and aggregates that can enable economic growth and restructuring and technological leadership along relevant materials value chains.

The project will define a range of targets with a defined timeline and identify actions to achieve these. To achieve the Vision 2050, the VERAM partnership will review existing foresight studies, the Strategic Research Agendas of various ETPs, consult with representatives of major stakeholder networks along the different raw material value chains, with the ERA-NETs, as well as the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC) on Raw Materials.

VERAM aims to provide an umbrella and coordination function for raw materials related research and innovation activities that address security and sustainability of supply from EU and non-EU sources. It also hopes to create new synergistic effects by linking biotic and non-biotic resources. And it intends to develop strategies to bring these innovations to market and develop recommendations for future research and innovation related policy actions.

The project aims to include all relevant aspects of non-food, non-energy raw materials related research and innovation. It challenges the current compartmentalisation and fragmentation in these areas and aims to increase synergies and facilitate uptake of research results.

The project will also encourage capacity building and transfer of knowledge. It expects to provide an innovation reference point for the EIT’s activities on Raw Materials, to coordinate the network involved in the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials Commitments and other relevant proposals funded under Horizon 2020.  VERAM will provide a platform for identifying gaps and complementarities and enable their bridging.

Impact
VERAM is designed to address a range of societal challenges through a more sustainable and resource-efficient use of raw materials and to help reap the benefits of the growing European circular economy.

VERAM aims to provide a comprehensive master plan by:

• improving co-ordination of EU and Member States' research and innovation programmes and other funded activities;
• stimulating research and innovation with the highest possible societal value and return on Research and Technology Development investment to create new enabling technologies and materials;
• optimising the economic leverage effect of investment in research and innovation.

The VERAM project will embark on activities to boost research and innovation and efficient industrial exploitation of raw materials. The impact of the project will be visible in the short term (1 to 5 years) by strengthened cooperation between the different stakeholders groups involved in the EIP Raw Materials, in the medium term (5-15 years) under the umbrella of the agreed 2030 vision and roadmap draft documents and on the long term (15 to 35 years) through the 2050 Roadmap.

More information
The VERAM (Vision and roadmap for the European raw materials) project is coordinated by ETP SMR via EuroGeoSurveys with communication and dissemination activities managed by Cefic. More information on all the project partners can be found here. For more information on the project, please email the project.