Critical raw materials (CRMs) are fundamental to the EU industrial value chains and strategic sectors, particularly with regard to the green energy transition. Currently, the EU domestic supply of primary CRMs is below 3% for many important commodities. To obtain an improved understanding of the EU?s critical raw materials potential, discover new ore deposits and thereby increase the internal sourcing of CRMs and secure its raw materials autonomy, the EU aims to boost the exploration and production of CRMs. Orthomagmatic mineral systems host important green transition (critical) raw materials (GTRM) including Ni, Cu, Co, V, Ti, Cr and platinum-group elements (PGE). There are currently only 2 mines in operation producing these metals in the EU, though there is potential for additional mines in several EU countries. This project is designed to develop socially and environmentally sustainable means of exploration for orthomagmatic CRMs. We will apply, for the first time in the EU, the Mineral Systems Approach to guide exploration for orthomagmatic CRMs. We will thereby generate improved ore models for orthomagmatic mineral deposits which will be translated to mappable exploration criteria to delineate areas of high exploration potential, from regional scale to local scale. Through collaboration between geosciences and social sciences the project will also develop methods to promote social awareness of the importance of responsible exploration and mining. Further, we will map the exploration and production potential of CRM in the EU and key CRM supplier countries. Our research will be conducted at five reference sites in Finland, Portugal, Poland and the Czech Republic representing different geological, social and environmental conditions. The ultimate goal is to promote responsible sourcing of CRMs in the EU and diversify the supply from third countries, thereby securing the continued supply of CRMs for EU industries.

The ProSUM project will establish a European network of expertise on secondary sources of critical raw materials (CRMs), vital to today’s high-tech society. ProSUM directly supports the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials and its Strategic Implementation Plan calling for the creation of a European raw materials knowledge base. Data on primary and secondary raw materials are available in Europe, but scattered amongst a variety of institutions including government agencies, universities, NGOs and industry. By establishing a EU Information Network (EUIN), the project will coordinate efforts to collect secondary CRM data and collate maps of stocks and flows for materials and products of the “urban mine”. The scope is the particularly relevant sources for secondary CRMs: Electrical and electronic equipment, vehicles, batteries and mining tailings. The project will construct a comprehensive inventory identifying, quantifying and mapping CRM stocks and flows at national and regional levels across Europe. Via a user-friendly, open-access Urban Mine Knowledge Data Platform (EU-UMKDP), it will communicate the results online and combine them with primary raw materials data from the on-going Minerals4EU project. To maintain and expand the EU-UMKDP in the future, it will provide update protocols, standards and recommendations for additional statistics and improved reporting on CRM’s in waste flows required. ProSUM – “prosum” is Latin for “I am useful” – provides a factual basis for policy makers to design appropriate legislation, academia to define research priorities and to identify innovation opportunities in recovering CRMs for the recycling industry. The EUIN enables interdisciplinary collaboration, improves dissemination of knowledge and supports policy dialogues. A consortium of 17 partners, representing research institutes, geological surveys and industry, with excellence in all above domains will deliver this ambitious project.

We aim to contribute to the European Green Deal, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Horizon Europe objectives through the development of a Geological Service for Europe, which focuses on the planet itself: the earth beneath our feet. The subsurface holds indispensable resources for European industries and opportunities to decarbonise our economy, but also requires careful management to preserve a healthy and safe living environment for Europe’s citizens. Structurally addressing the EU dimension in geological services is needed because the scale of many societally and economically relevant geological features exceeds that of individual countries. Addressing transnational and continental-scale problems requires innovation, standardisation, harmonisation as well as a shared vision. We aim to build the Geological Service for Europe based on Europe’s best practices and implement the Service with the backing of the Union. Existing geological surveys, the national custodians of geological information, have amassed huge legacies of data and information that are difficult to merge. This project will continue the harmonisation and standardisation effort initiated in earlier projects. We aim to create joint services that can support acceleration of the energy and climate transitions, as well as a larger critical mass of intra-European cooperation through convergence of our research agendas, as key steps to increase the amount and quality of results we are aiming for. A common thread in this project is innovation in ways in which subsurface information is conceptualised, organised, visualised, delivered and translated to the needs of a wide range of audiences, and the methodologies to achieve this. Building on the groundwork laid in the GeoERA program, we will scale up and out, not only scientifically, but also in involving national stakeholders in the network, in order to create support and eventually obtain a mandate for a European Service on a permanent basis.