Secure the access to raw materials represents a critical issue for European ambition to deliver the Green Deal and perform the energy and digital twin transition. As future demand of primary critical raw materials will continue to be largely met by importations, EU needs to diversify its supply chain and engage strategic partnerships with resources-rich third countries covering extraction, processing and refining such as African countries. In this framework, AfricaMaVal project aims to develop EU-Africa partnership ensuring a responsible sourcing of mineral resources for the European industry while granting a sustainable local co-development in the best Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) conditions and leading to a long-terms business environment for European and African companies. The consortium, created with partners coming both from Africa and Europe, is based on experienced organizations and networks deeply anchored and involved in the raw material domain with a specific expertise and knowledge of the African culture, organisations, difficulties and resources. The mineral, financial, environmental, social, institutional and economical aspects will be studied along with all the value chains, including the ASSM activities, to the project completion to reach its operational targets: - Building an EU and Africa business networking on the whole CRM value chains. - Developing a strategy on the integration of identified and emerging EU and African raw materials value chains for the energy and digital transition. - Assessing responsible investment opportunities. The AfricaMaVal project will conduct ten case studies in African countries and an evaluation of 100 investment opportunities, a wide dissemination within Europe and Africa to promote responsible sourcing and will implement a sustainable organisation after the completion of the project.

The project Towards a World Forum on Raw Materials (FORAM) will develop and set up an EU-based platform of international experts and stakeholders that will advance the idea of a World Forum on Raw Materials (WFRM) and enhance the international cooperation on raw material policies and investments. The global use of mineral resources has drastically increased and supply chains have become ever more complex. A number of global initiatives and organizations have been contributing to knowledge and information transfer, including the EC, UNEP International Resource Panel, the World Resources Forum, the World Material Forum, the OECD and others. It is widely felt that improved international resource transparency and governance would be beneficial for all, since it would lead to stability, predictability, resource-efficiency and hence a better foundation for competitiveness on a sustainable basis. The FORAM project will contribute to consolidate the efforts towards a more joint and coherent approach towards raw materials policies and investments worldwide, by closely working with the relevant stakeholders in industry, European and international organisations, governments, academia and civil society. Synergies with relevant EU Member States initiatives will be explored and fostered. The project will in particular seek to engage the participation of G20 Member countries and other countries active in the mining and other raw materials sectors, so that experiences will be shared and understanding of all aspects of trade in raw materials will be increased. By implementing this project an EU-based platform of international key experts and stakeholders is created, related to the entire raw materials value chain. This platform will work together on making the current complex maze of existing raw material related initiatives more effective. As such, the FORAM project will be the largest collaborative effort for raw materials strategy cooperation on a global level so far.

INTERMIN will create a self-sustainable long-term lasting international network of training centres for professionals. This project involves educational and research institutions in the EU and the leading counterparts in third countries, based on specific country expertise in the primary and secondary raw materials sectors. The network will map skills and knowledge in the EU and the third countries, identify key knowledge gaps and emerging needs, develop roadmap for improving skills and knowledge, as well as establish common training programmes in the raw materials sectors. In line with the EU's strategy for international co-operation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), the consortium will seek international collaboration, fostering and exploring synergies with the relevant EU Member States initiatives

Based on the experience and background of SCRREEN1 and SCRREEN2, the prolongation of the project SCRREEN3 will continue to develop and animate an Expert Network which will contribute to expert advice in support of decision-making at the EU level covering all the raw materials and their value chains screened in the CRMs assessment.