Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EIT RM BP23-25 (EIT RawMatrials Business Plan 2023-2025)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2024-06-30
Metals and minerals are key enablers for the European Green Deal and will substitute fossil fuels in the long run. Plus Europe is highly dependent on importing raw materials for its manufacturing industries and to accomplish the transition to a resource efficient, sustainable society. To meet this challenge, the vision of EIT RawMaterials (EIT RM) is to develop raw materials into a major strength for Europe. EIT RM's mission is to advance Europe‘s transition to sustainability by driving innovation along the entire raw materials value chain. EIT RM is the world’s largest and leading partnership in raw materials and closely connected with the policy agenda of the European Commission. The European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) managed by EIT RM on behalf of the Commission is an important mechanism for translating projects into investments and infrastructures that contribute to creating added value and jobs for Europe within key strategic industrial ecosystems. These initiatives are complemented by EIT RM’s leading role in education and innovation activities, such as the EIT’s initiative in capacity building for Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Through these high-impact activities and the KIC’s talent, people and partner network, EIT RM has set the foundation to create impact and to achieve its strategic objectives. The main activities for 2023-2025 are:
- New projects on upscaling, education and RIS activities that will create impact and a sustainable standard of living across Europe.
- New ERMA investment cases with an investment volume of close to 18bn EUR, many of them emerging from the KIC’s own innovation and business creation activities, getting access to finance and customers.
- Strong diversification of EIT RM’s revenue generation through RoI & Equity, service fees, milestone fees and success fees fully supporting the Strategic Agenda 2021-2027 targets.
- Continuation of EIT RM’s successful leadership of the HEI Capacity Building Initiative and Cross-KIC Education Initiative, with strong focus on the Deep Tech Talents Initiative (DTTI) and the KIC’s strong footprint in RIS regions. Extension of the successful Girls Go Circular programme across all EU-27 countries under the leadership of EIT RM.
- New projects on upscaling, education and RIS activities that will create impact and a sustainable standard of living across Europe.
- New ERMA investment cases with an investment volume of close to 18bn EUR, many of them emerging from the KIC’s own innovation and business creation activities, getting access to finance and customers.
- Strong diversification of EIT RM’s revenue generation through RoI & Equity, service fees, milestone fees and success fees fully supporting the Strategic Agenda 2021-2027 targets.
- Continuation of EIT RM’s successful leadership of the HEI Capacity Building Initiative and Cross-KIC Education Initiative, with strong focus on the Deep Tech Talents Initiative (DTTI) and the KIC’s strong footprint in RIS regions. Extension of the successful Girls Go Circular programme across all EU-27 countries under the leadership of EIT RM.
Education: 10 EIT labelled master’s programmes covering the full value chain of the raw materials having a strong impact by supporting the re-industrialisation of the raw materials sectors in Europe. To achieveKPI EITHE05.1 EIT RM launched the Lab2Market venture building programme, an entrepreneurship support programme designed for students and/or teams offering solutions to the raw and advanced material value chains. Lab2Market so far provided training for more than 200 participants with 110 female beneficiaries, 158 EIT Label Master Students educated and 40 PhD & Post-doc educated. During 2023, 28 projects including both partner-run and centrally driven KAVAs were running, covering the full lifecycle of innovators, from school pupils and university students to raw materials professionals and the wider EU public, in alignment with the KIC strategy.
Business Creation: As an outcome of the BC&S activities executed in 2023, more than 280 applications have been received, 72 companies were supported with a total funding contribution of above 3 million EUR. In addition, in 2024 H1 focused on creating value through direct investment and actively working with start-ups on maximizing their growth potential, hence Booster was enhanced with investment tickets of up to 500k EUR (from 200k in 2023), while Accelerator is running its last Cohorts in 2024. In H1 2024, through Booster Cut off 1, 47 more applications have been received with 15 start-ups under negotiations to receive funding.
Innovation: Innovation projects aimed to upscale products, technologies or services and to bring them to the market. More tailored support to developing robust go-to-market strategies. Supported applicants in KAVA Call 11 & KAVA Call 12 in submitting quality proposals for new innovation projects. There were several projects selected in that call, they started being executed in Q4 2023, so their progress can be monitored first in 2024. Expanded our service delivery in the area of Open Innovation Challenges. Here EIT RM provided these services to companies like Anglo American, Eramet or Tapojarvi to help them tackle their industrial challenges. Organized 3 very specific, thematic events called Expert Forum, covering topics like photovoltaics and hydrogen, innovation in battery materials, responsible sourcing driving sustainable change.
Regional Innovation Scheme: One of the cornerstones of EIT RM activities and is horizontally integrated across all activity lines. EIT RM identified four different European regions (ESEE Region, Visegrad, Mediterranean and the Baltics) where we focus our RIS activities. RIS topics continued to be embedded into KAVA Calls (open to partners and non-partners), but there were also other RIS activities driven centrally, focused on entrepreneurship and outreach. Grow KIC participation from non-Partners (and potential partners) from RIS regions by securing a strong presence in the RIS countries and by targeted outreach (RIS Hubs). Engage idea holders, entrepreneurs and start-ups from RIS countries into business creation and support programmes offered by EIT RM. Establish and increase bilateral cooperation with RIS countries to seek synergies for common activities and funding of innovation, education and business creation.
Business Creation: As an outcome of the BC&S activities executed in 2023, more than 280 applications have been received, 72 companies were supported with a total funding contribution of above 3 million EUR. In addition, in 2024 H1 focused on creating value through direct investment and actively working with start-ups on maximizing their growth potential, hence Booster was enhanced with investment tickets of up to 500k EUR (from 200k in 2023), while Accelerator is running its last Cohorts in 2024. In H1 2024, through Booster Cut off 1, 47 more applications have been received with 15 start-ups under negotiations to receive funding.
Innovation: Innovation projects aimed to upscale products, technologies or services and to bring them to the market. More tailored support to developing robust go-to-market strategies. Supported applicants in KAVA Call 11 & KAVA Call 12 in submitting quality proposals for new innovation projects. There were several projects selected in that call, they started being executed in Q4 2023, so their progress can be monitored first in 2024. Expanded our service delivery in the area of Open Innovation Challenges. Here EIT RM provided these services to companies like Anglo American, Eramet or Tapojarvi to help them tackle their industrial challenges. Organized 3 very specific, thematic events called Expert Forum, covering topics like photovoltaics and hydrogen, innovation in battery materials, responsible sourcing driving sustainable change.
Regional Innovation Scheme: One of the cornerstones of EIT RM activities and is horizontally integrated across all activity lines. EIT RM identified four different European regions (ESEE Region, Visegrad, Mediterranean and the Baltics) where we focus our RIS activities. RIS topics continued to be embedded into KAVA Calls (open to partners and non-partners), but there were also other RIS activities driven centrally, focused on entrepreneurship and outreach. Grow KIC participation from non-Partners (and potential partners) from RIS regions by securing a strong presence in the RIS countries and by targeted outreach (RIS Hubs). Engage idea holders, entrepreneurs and start-ups from RIS countries into business creation and support programmes offered by EIT RM. Establish and increase bilateral cooperation with RIS countries to seek synergies for common activities and funding of innovation, education and business creation.