EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities of the "Co-funded Partnership on Raw Materials for the Green and Digital Transition"

1. Strategic Overview

The partnership is the first EU-level financial vehicle fully dedicated to critical, strategic and secondary raw materials (CRM/SRM) across the entire value chain. By pooling national/regional R&I budgets and topping them up with a 30 % Horizon Europe contribution (max. €90 M), the EU creates a single, integrated programme worth ≈ €300 M (2026-2032).

2. Unique EU-Integration Benefits

2.1 Single Market Access (450 + million consumers)

• • Accelerated market uptake of eco-innovative extraction, processing and recycling technologies in 30 + Member & Associated States without the need for multiple national approvals.

• • Harmonised CE-marking, REACH and environmental permitting enable rapid scale-up from pilot (> TRL5) to industrial deployment.

• • Common CRM product standards (under the forthcoming EU Standardisation Request) open a continental marketplace for certified “responsibly sourced” materials.

2.2 Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• • Institutional consortium model (ministries, R&I funding agencies) allows joint annual calls—each automatically multinational—reducing fragmentation seen in earlier ERA-NETs.

• • Mandatory openness to new members during the lifetime ensures continuous enlargement, including OECD, AU, MERCOSUR, CARIFORUM and Andean countries.

• • Adoption of UNFC & UNRMS provides a shared language for resource classification, easing data interoperability across geological surveys and industry.

2.3 Alignment with Core EU Policies

• • Direct instrument for delivering the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) 2030 benchmarks: ≥10 % EU extraction, ≥40 % EU processing, ≥15 % EU recycling & <65 % supply dependence for any CRM.

• • Supports objectives of the European Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan and Digital Decade by securing sustainable inputs for batteries, wind, PV, semiconductors and data centres.

• • Follows the Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework; projects de-risk future regulatory compliance.

2.4 Regulatory Harmonisation

• • EU-wide Environmental Impact Assessment, Waste Framework and Mining Waste Directives provide predictable permitting—a competitive advantage over fragmented global regimes.

• • Common due-diligence criteria under the upcoming EU Supply-Chain Act facilitate ESG reporting and green finance eligibility.

2.5 Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem

• • Direct links to EIT RawMaterials KIC, Circular Cities & Regions, ERA-MIN alumni network; beneficiaries enter a ready-made pipeline of > 500 SMEs, 150 labs and 20 large demo plants.

• • Synergy with Digital Europe Programme (data spaces, AI/DT win), enabling digital twins for mines, scrap flows and processing plants.

2.6 Funding Synergies & Blending

Below are typical complementarities that a project/Programme Owner can exploit:

| EU Instrument | What it can finance | How it complements the Partnership |

|---------------|--------------------|-----------------------------------|

| Innovation Fund (ETS revenues) | Large-scale industrial pilots > €7.5 M CAPEX | Post-TRL7 up-scaling of breakthrough hydrometallurgy, EAF route, etc. |

| InvestEU (Green & Strategic Tech Window) | Equity, guarantees for commercial plants | De-risk first-of-a-kind CRM refineries or magnet recycling plants. |

| ERDF & Just Transition Fund | Regional infrastructure, skills | Co-locate demo sites in coal-transition regions to maximise regional impact. |

| CEF Digital / Energy | Cross-border grids & data corridors | Enable mineral tracing via blockchain or shared CO₂ transport for CCS at metallurgical hubs. |

| LIFE & Horizon EIC | Nature restoration around legacy mines; Deep-tech scale-ups | Environmental remediation pilots; spin-outs of sensing or sorting start-ups. |

2.7 Scale and Impact Potential

• • Annual joint calls (2026-32) generate > 100 trans-national projects, each able to receive up to €2 M FSTP, creating a pipeline of high-TRL demonstrators.

• • Expected leverage ratio ~2.3 (70 % national/in-kind vs. 30 % EU), so total R&I volume could exceed €700 M when private co-funding is included.

• • Centralised results clustering & synthesis will feed DG GROW, DG RTD and JRC for evidence-based policy, amplifying impact beyond individual projects.

3. Actionable Opportunities for Applicants & Programme Owners

1. Align national raw-materials calls with CRMA priority lists and SSbD KPIs to secure 30 % top-up.

2. Use the partnership’s retroactive eligibility to start preparatory studies immediately (from 23 Sept 2025 submission date).

3. Build triangular consortia (EU-Member + EU-Associated + Strategic Partner country) to maximise diversification impact and evaluation score.

4. Embed digital traceability tools leveraging Copernicus, Galileo/EGNOS data—compulsory use increases technical excellence marks.

5. Prepare a business case & exploitation plan: show route to TRL6-7 pilot and follow-up funding (Innovation Fund / InvestEU) to win under the Impact criterion.

6. Plan skills packages that are scalable under ESF+, addressing mining automation, advanced metallurgy, AI for exploration.

7. Engage with EIT RawMaterials Booster & Venture Building services early to accelerate commercialisation and market entry.

4. EU-Scale Strategic Value vs. National Schemes

• Risk Sharing: 30 % EU top-up reduces fiscal pressure on any one Member State; diversified governance lowers political risk.

• Market Pull: A continental demand signal for certified sustainable CRMs encourages private investment and long-term offtake agreements.

• Diplomatic Leverage: Joint EU voice in raw-material diplomacy (e.g., with Canada, Namibia, Chile) is stronger than bilateral national deals.

• Data Sovereignty: EU-wide resource inventory using UNFC/UNRMS fortifies strategic autonomy in knowledge.

• Speed & Efficiency: Single set of rules (Horizon Model Grant Agreement) simplifies auditing vs. navigating 27 grant regimes.

5. Key Takeaways

• The Partnership is the EU’s flagship R&I instrument for delivering CRMA targets and de-risking the twin transition.

• Applicants gain unparalleled access to a €300 M+ integrated fund, the Single Market, world-class research infrastructure, and aligned EU policy frameworks.

• Synergies with other EU funds can multiply budgets, accelerate TRL progression and unlock commercial financing.

• Operating at EU scale maximises impact, credibility and visibility—advantages that no standalone national programme can match.