LRI AMBIT Workshop

Cefic’s Long-Range Research Initiative (LRI) is organising a training workshop on the AMBIT tool on 21 January at Cefic’s Brussels offices. AMBIT tool is a predictive toxicity model based on read-across and categorisation. The tool is a web-based application freely available to all and could prove very useful for companies for both R&D and regulatory purposes – in particular for REACH.

The AMBIT tool is described on the LRI website and in more detail on its own website and in this presentation from the LRI 2015 programme workshop.

The workshop is entitled ‘Linking LRI AMBIT Chemo informatics system with the IUCLID Substance database to support Read across of Substance endpoint data and Category formation.’
AMBIT is an essential component of the LRI toolbox of methods and instruments, while IUCLID (International Uniform Chemical Information Database) is a key tool for the chemical community to fulfil data submission obligations under REACH. The linking of the two systems was undertaken in LRI project EEM9.3.

The inclusion of high quality substance data will enhance the predictive power of the AMBIT in-silico tool. The new version of AMBIT also implements workflows for assessments and should minimise overall animal testing needs and resource costs.

Another important new feature is the automatic assignment of chemical structures from the AMBIT structure pool to all the constituents, impurities and additives defined in an IUCLID substance. A search for a defined structure yields relevant substances and endpoint data that could be filtered as required by the user.

In addition AMBIT has several output options including the generation of an assessment report as a Word document that itemises justification/ validation of the approach taken.

AMBIT is an open source application with many functions that can be further developed or customised. The EEM9.3 project ended this month (December 2015) and the new version of AMBIT will become a free, open, publicly available tool.

The AMBIT workshop on 21 January will allow users to gain “hands on” experience of the new system.

Free registration
There is no charge for attendance at the AMBIT workshop but places are restricted to a maximum of 50 participants – so reserve you seat now! You can view the programme of the workshop here.

To register, please send an email to Andreea Udrea withh cc to LRI Programme Manager Bruno Hubesch. Places will be allocated on a ‘first come first served basis’.

For more information on LRI activities, please contact Dr. Bruno Hubesch, LRI Programme Manager or the LRI Secretariat.

SUBSTITUTION means EVOLUTION – Save the date!

On 17 June 2015 the SusChem-supported FP7 project CRM_InnoNet will be signing off with a High Level  Conference ‘SUBSTITUTION means EVOLUTION’ in Brussels. The venue for the event will be the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and Arts on Rue Ducale in Brussels and registration is now open!

The conference marks the final stage of the CRM_InnoNet project that was launched in 2012 with the vision to drive networking, policy and innovation in the field of substitution of critical raw materials.

The conference will be your one-stop shop to find out all you need to know about substitution of critical raw materials (CRMs) in Europe. If you go to only one conference on the subject this year – this is the one! Save the date now!

At the event you can:

• Learn about the opportunities provided by substitution and how it can solve technological challenges.
• Witness the state of play of substitution of CRMs in Europe with keynote speeches from companies and government bodies.
• Meet up with key EU industrial sectors in the area of substitution.
• Engage in discussions during dedicated panel debates to implement recommendations towards a European circular economy.
• Discuss with policy makers, industrial players, entrepreneurs and academia during the networking cocktail.
• Become part of the Innovation Network and meet potential partners for substitution projects in Horizon 2020
• Explore applications of substitution in the exhibition space.

The conference will be free of charge and you can register here.

More on CRM_InnoNet
The CRM_InnoNet Innovation Network is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funded under FP7 that is creating an integrated community to drive innovation in the field of critical raw material substitution for the benefit of EU industry. SusChem is a significant supporter of the network.

The European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials aims to play a major role in securing a sustainable supply of raw materials for Europe and has set itself an ambitious list of targets to achieve by 2020. CRM_InnoNet’s goals complement those of the EIP on Raw Materials and the project will seek to align its outputs with those of the EIP.

The CRM_InnoNet consortium is comprised of recognised and experienced key actors across the value chain of substitution of CRM representing academic, research and industry bodies of relevant sectors that will ensure a wide European coverage and high potential to engage other necessary players across the ERA.

For more information on CRM_InnoNet and the conference, email the project secretariat at the UK’s Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and you can also follow the project on Twitter.

CRM_InnoNet publishes two more Roadmaps for Public Consultation on Substitution

The CRM_InnoNet FP7 project has just published two more Roadmaps for public consultation on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) Substitution. These new draft roadmaps cover two themes: Photonics including High-end Optics; Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and Electronic Components. The consultation is open until 17 April 2015.

The two new road maps complete the set of five roadmaps for consultation on Substitution of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs). The roadmaps cover areas that CRM_InnoNet considers most likely under threat from CRM related supply bottlenecks. These are:

• Electric Motor & Drives
• Batteries & Accumulators
• High-value Alloys
• Photonics including High-end Optics
• Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and Electronic Components

These roadmaps have been elaborated in consultation with external experts capturing options and timelines for substituting critical raw materials up to the year 2030. 

The first three themes above (Electric motors and drives, batteries and accumulators, and high-value alloys) were subject to consultation earlier in the year. The consultation on the two new roadmap drafts can be accessed via the CRM_InnoNet website. 

The closing date for feedback is 17 April 2015. If you have any questions on the consultation process, please contact the CRM_InnoNet secretariat.

What is the CRM_InnoNet Innovation Network?

The CRM_InnoNet Innovation Network is a proactive and dynamic network of key stakeholders from industry, academia and other organisations interested in the substitution of critical raw materials. The network provides an identity and focus for researchers and businesses with an interest in substitution, drawing together a community which contains representatives from different disciplines and sectors together with a focus on substitution for the first time.

Innovative technologies and robust policies needed for CRM substitution in Europe

The SusChem inspired FP7 project CRM_InnoNet is organising its third Strategic Innovation Network workshop in Brussels on 11 February 2015. This workshop will showcase Europe’s innovative projects and substitution technologies for critical raw materials (CRM) that can be applied to different strategic sectors such as energy, transport, ICT and electronics. 

The objective of the workshop is to discuss and exchange ideas on the strategy and steps that Europe will need to follow in the near future to tackle the supply risk to critical raw materials. Securing availability and access to critical raw materials constitutes a strategic objective for the EU political and economic agenda. Key EU industrial sectors that depend on access to critical raw materials, such as automotive, machinery, chemicals, aerospace and construction, provide a total added value of €1,324 billion and 30 million jobs for Europe.

Essential elements
Critical raw materials such as rare earth elements are essential to industrial production, particularly for clean energy options such as wind turbines, solar cells, electric vehicles and energy-efficient lighting. The scarcity of critical raw materials, together with their economic importance, makes it very important to explore new avenues towards substitution in order to reduce the EU’s consumption and decrease the relative dependence upon imports.

The main topics to be addressed at the workshop include substitution technologies related to critical raw materials in:

• Permanent Magnets
• Catalysts 
• Electronics
• Photonics

Workshop
Following two very successful workshops in 2013 and 2014, this will be the project’s final innovation network workshop and is open to all stakeholders involved in the critical raw materials value chain and willing to exchange ideas and visions for enhancing the competitiveness of EU research, development and innovation, industry and economy in the area of substitution of Critical Raw Materials. A flyer for the event can be downloaded here and the event agenda is available here.

The event is taking place at the Diamant Conference and Business Centre in Brussels. Registration for the workshop is free and is open now. For more information on this event, please contact PNO consultants, Dr. Nader Akil.

Public consultation

In addition the project has just launched a Public Consultation on the Roadmaps for Substitution of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs). CRM_InnoNet  has developed Research and Innovation Roadmaps for five applications, which are most likely under threat from CRM related supply bottlenecks. These are:

• Electric Motor & Drives
• Batteries & Accumulators
• High-value Alloys
• Photonics including High-end Optics
• Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and Electronic Components

These roadmaps have been elaborated in consultation with external experts capturing options and timelines for substituting critical raw materials up to the year 2030. The project is now inviting feedback on the roadmaps as final validation stage before publication for the first three themes above (Electric motors and drives, batteries and accumulators, and high-value alloys). Consultation on the roadmaps for the themes photonics and PCBs will be launched later in the year.

The consultation including the roadmap drafts can be accessed via the CRM_InnoNet website and the closing date for feedback on the first three topics is Friday 27 February 2015.

If you have any questions on the consultation process, please contact the CRM_InnoNet secretariat.

What is the CRM_InnoNet Innovation Network?
The CRM_InnoNet Innovation Network is a proactive and dynamic network of key stakeholders from industry, academia and other organisations interested in the substitution of critical raw materials. The network provides an identity and focus for researchers and businesses with an interest in substitution, drawing together a community which contains representatives from different disciplines and sectors together with a focus on substitution for the first time.

Second CRM_InnoNet Innovation Network Workshop

The FP7 CRM_InnoNet project is organizing its second Innovation Network Workshop in the field of substitution of critical raw materials on 14 May 2014 in Brussels. The workshop will take a special focus on strategic sectors such as Energy, Transport and ICT with the key speakers from each sector as well as participatory activities. The project has also recently published reports analysing the ICT and energy sector and assessing the substitution potential for the 14 materials listed as Critical Raw Materials by the European Commission. 

The event, which takes place at the Diamant Conference and Business Centre in Brussels, is free to attend and is open for all stakeholders who are involved in any part of the Critical Raw Materials value chain and are willing to exchange ideas and visions for enhancing the competitiveness of the European Union’s research and development and innovation (R&D&I), its industry and economy in the area of substitution of Critical Raw Materials.

Further information on registration and other arrangements will be available soon. The project can also support some travel costs for attendees from SMEs. Please visit CRM_InnoNet website for more information.

Information and speaker presentations from the network’s first Innovation workshop held on 15 April 2013 in Brussels can be found here. This first event was attended by more than by 120 delegates representing 87 organisations inside and outside the European Union.

Critical reports
The full CRM_InnoNet project team of 18 partners recently met in Runcorn, UK for an interim meeting (see team photo below). The project has spent the last year completing comprehensive bottom-up and top-down mapping of critical raw materials usage in Europe.

Three reports from this analysis are now available for download:

• Supply chain analysis of the ICT and electronics sector
• Supply chain analysis of the energy sector
• Raw materials profiles

The third report on Raw Materials profiles is a detailed assessment of the substitutability of the European Commission’s list of 14 Critical raw Materials (the EU -14) in their end use applications.  This report is currently open for consultation, so if you have any feedback on any aspect of the report, please contact the CRM_InnoNet secretariat.

The project is now embarking on its next phase: writing the roadmaps for substitution of critical raw materials in Europe. These are plenty of opportunities to input into these roadmaps including the Innovation Network workshop on 14 May.

What is CRM_InnoNet?
The project is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funded under FP7 that is creating an integrated community to drive innovation in the field of critical raw material substitution for the benefit of EU industry.

The European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials aims to play a major role in securing a sustainable supply of raw materials for Europe and has set itself an ambitious list of targets to achieve by 2020. CRM_InnoNet’s goals complement those of the EIP on Raw Materials and the project will seek to align its outputs with those of the EIP.

The CRM_InnoNet consortium is comprised of recognised and experienced key actors across the value chain of substitution of CRM representing academic, research and industry bodies of relevant sectors that will ensure a wide European coverage and high potential to engage other necessary players across the European Research Area.

More information
For more information visit the CRM_InnoNet website that includes a blog, news and events, or the contact project secretariat at CIKTN.