The European Commission has awarded EIT InnoEnergy and EIT RawMaterials a key project to strengthen Europe’s critical raw material (CRM) supply chains, aiming to reduce dependencies and boost industrial resilience. The newly established CRM Facility will support global partnerships between European industry and projects in partner countries to secure essential materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese.

The CRM Facility will play an important role in achieving the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act targets, reinforcing Europe’s strategic autonomy in the face of growing supply chain pressures.

The facility will work with countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia, Southeastern Europe, and Greenland to develop mid-to-downstream mineral value chains. InnoEnergy and EIT Raw Materials will source promising projects in partner countries and facilitate win-win partnerships with European businesses. It will also support training programmes to equip professionals with expertise in sustainable raw material management.

InnoEnergy will focus efforts on securing minerals for the battery sector in particular. “For Europe’s battery sector, sustainable raw materials are indispensable,” said Baptiste Buet, Director of EU Business Unit at InnoEnergy. “While domestic mining and recycling efforts remain vital, securing global resources is equally critical.” InnoEnergy will leverage its experience in the European Battery Alliance to build industry collaborations and drive investment in supply chain resilience.

EIT RawMaterials, sees it as a crucial step in Europe’s broader strategy for industrial competitiveness and security. “Securing a stable supply of critical raw materials is essential for European security and industrial strength,” said Bernd Schäfer, CEO of EIT RawMaterials. “Resilient supply chains can only be built through strong global partnerships.”

Partner countries who will take part in the program include Argentina, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chile, Greenland, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, Serbia, South Africa, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Zambia.