Periodic Reporting for period 2 - VERAM (Vision and Roadmap for European Raw Materials)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2017-06-01 do 2018-05-31
The project encourages capacity building as well as transfer of knowledge and provides an innovation reference point for the EIT RawMaterials. It has helped coordinate the network of people involved in the EIP RM Commitments and the relevant projects funded under Horizon 2020 through clustering events and provides a platform to help identify gaps and complementarities and bridge these. As one of its primary deliverables, VERAM published a set of recommendations on future research needs and tools to stimulate innovation and assist in overcoming the fragmentation in the implementation of the EIP on RM SIP, which the European Commission and national governments could use to shape future research and innovation programmes. The VERAM recommendations encourage mutually beneficial information exchange, cross-fertilization between actions undertaken by different raw material industries and should help speed-up exploitation of breakthrough innovations by bringing industry and technology providers closer to the research community. The final results of the activities, which will be fully published on the VERAM website, focus on a common long term vision and research and innovation roadmap towards 2050 for the relevant raw materials, including metals, industrial minerals, aggregates and wood.
Throughout the process, it has been crucial to maintain regular and open communication channels in order to keep the relevant stakeholders and policy makers aware of the progress and allow for their feedback to be considered in the roadmap development. VERAM participated in a number of conferences and workshops, often with a keynote presentation, which helped to fulfill this key aspect of the project and to ensure its success. By involving a wide network of key players within the project from the very beginning, the recommendations laid out within the VERAM Roadmap are ready to be taken up without delay.
1. A coordinated EU policy on Raw Materials will raise confidence in the related activities and sectors bringing back investors and financing mechanisms.
• VERAM investigated three vastly different future scenarios for the EU raw materials sector towards 2050 and discovered that, with sufficient levels of investment in research and innovation and by addressing the correct gaps, even the worst case scenarios can be mitigated against. With longer term security for the raw materials sector within the EU, investment should become more attractive and along with it the necessary financial mechanisms to support further development. The Roadmap 2050 also shows how different actors within the raw materials sector can collaborate on cross-thematic research actions, thereby having a and defragmenting effect on European raw materials R&I activities.
2. The work will prevent unnecessary overlaps in technology-related innovation activities undertaken on EU, national and regional level, more efficient use of resources and shortening time for results.
• The VERAM Roadmap recommendations to 2030 and 2050 will help coordinate how the long-term strategies of industry, researchers and public authorities are developed. Having considered and involved the most relevant research and innovation programming initiatives at both EU (H2020, EIT RawMaterials) and national level (ERA-MIN2, WoodWisdom-Net+), the risk of overlaps in activities has been significantly reduced.
3. Unite the stakeholders of the relevant European Technology Platforms under a joint vision for 2050 and a R&I Roadmap 2050
• The relevant ETPs have actively contributed and provided feedback on project progress throughout, with five ETPs directly involved in the VERAM project. Each sector represented has had the opportunity to ensure the Roadmap encompasses the interests of the whole community. The collaboration across sectors that have traditionally been more insular in their research activities has resulted in the discovery of commonalities that were not considered before between the biotic sector and the minerals, metals and aggregates sectors and their respective value chains. This should also allow streamlining and accelerating market uptake of innovations that address key challenges for Europe. With the current Horizon 2020 research funding programme coming to an end, the results of the VERAM gap analysis, vision and roadmap recommendations could also provide a clear direction for future raw materials research and innovation programming in the EU. With the conclusion of the project, the ETPs involved have already expressed their intent to continue discussions on common areas of interest, since new research priorities will continue to emerge with time.