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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Objectives of the commitment

Establish co-ordination and support mechanisms among the involved regions and engage the other relevant EU regions. Illustrate the right raw materials framework conditions based on good practices; including administration, land use planning, investment conditions and attracting skilled workforce. Identify the essential preconditions for companies to obtain a SLO with the idea of developing guidelines to create a toolbox in the future intended to improve transparency, communication and SLO. Map synergies between raw materials value chains, market and societal stakeholders, operational synergies between R&I investments and the ESIF within and across the regions. Map how the exploration and extraction of mineral raw materials, in Member States involved, is integrated in land-use planning. Consider how to link planning with the sustainable development of mineral deposits and global aspects.

Description of the activities

Commitment signatories will look and prepare for mutual goals regarding utilisation of EU funding, especially H2020, in terms of policy support actions. Other EU funding instruments for the fields of sustainable mining, raw materials (industry & SMEs), critical raw minerals, metallurgy and mineral policies are also being explored by participants in this commitment.
Commitment signatories will actively follow EU raw material policy work and will contribute where possible. This includes active interaction between regions, stakeholders in regional and local level in addition to European Commission and raw materials networks in the EU. EIT RawMaterials and KIC cooperation will be considered, as there will be raised valuable possibilities for joint initiatives between the members of the commitment and EIT/KIC organisations or stakeholders.
Commitment signatories will actively discuss and disseminate knowledge and information related to sustainable mining, better utilising of European minerals, information on what strategies/tools have not been successful and communicate towards communities and stakeholders about its achievements and goals. MIREU will help stakeholders to make informed decisions about new mining and metallurgy projects in the EU through engagement of local communities, facilitating social agreements, improving the awareness, gaining citizens' acceptance and trust in a sustainable raw materials production in the EU. The MIREU team will establish a website that will facilitate collaboration between the partners and dissemination of the outputs to the wider European and International communities.
The development of a wider understanding of the nature of securing a social licence to operate in different cultural and national jurisdictions will contribute to better communication and understanding across the range of stakeholders.
Workshops will be held in several regions with the aim of examining the role of past and current mining activities and the role of regional educational establishments. Case studies will be developed based on recent mine development planning activities including communications with regional stakeholders and the role of National Policies. The partners in each region will co-ordinate links with large businesses and SMEs, local educational and research institutions and local community representatives. Particular emphasis will be put on the development of regional SME clusters with links to the educational research institutions.
The partners will also seek collaborations with other relevant EU projects and programmes such as the coordinating and support actions: MINATURA 2020 and INTRAW and ongoing technical research projects.
MIREU will actively disseminate knowledge and information beneficial to its goals through existing websites and the regional partners. Campaigns are established to educate the public about the importance of minerals to their daily lives.
Through MIREU actions participating EU regions’ mining priorities will be linked to industrial needs. In order to generate industrial catalysis and independency of CRMs, the extractive and recovery/recycling efforts must be aligned with the industrial flow. A good natural vehicle for such an interface are the industrial clusters and networks of SMEs. Industrial clusters identify perfectly by sectors the industrial roadmaps and future trends including all the agents in the value chain, particularly taking into account SMEs. This can be also the way to better define value chains - linking also to mining and extractive efforts between regions.

Description of the expected impacts

MIREU commitment will work towards improved conditions for sustainable access and supply of raw materials in the EU. This goal will be achieved through long-term policy work through regional, national and EU funding such as interregional and regional projects. MIREU commitment signatories will aim to create a European regional network that will be sustainable in the long term. MIREU signatories will search for, document and communicate operational synergies between R&I investments and ESIF in the regions and national level. MIREU will work for improved framework conditions at regional level leading to a more transparent and secure environment new mining and metallurgy projects. MIREU will actively communicate to reach wider social awareness of the importance of raw materials, not only for the local communities but also for the wider society. MIREU commitment signatories will be helping regional stakeholders to make informed decisions about new mining and metallurgy projects in the regions involved e.g. through earlier and more proactive engagement of local communities, ensuring affected communities receive benefits and do not only bear the burdens of mining projects, and by developing tangible solutions for gaining societal trust and acceptance throughout the entire lifecycle of sustainable raw materials production in the EU. MIREU will work for effective implementation and widespread use of the Social Licence to Operate (SLO) research and guidelines in practice by publishing research and disseminate the best practices and results. The Case Studies produced will be useful for other European and international regions.

Coordinating organisation & role

Name of the coordinating organisation: Regional Council of LaplandCountry: FinlandEntity profile: Governmental/public bodyRole within the commitment:

Coordination. Regional Council of Lapland is leading the MIREU commitment as a part its interest to cooperate with other EU regions (and stakeholders) focusing on mining, raw materials, metallurgy and critical minerals policy and regional development. MIREU is supporting Lapland's smart specialisation activities and targets for interregional EU projects. Regional Council of Lapland is responsible for internal communication of MIREU partners.

Other partners

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.

Name of the organisation: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V. Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Fraunhofer will lead the CFRP and GFRP recycling research.
Fraunhofer will perform corrosion tests on the developed materials.
Fraunhofer will work with CIDAUT on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project. Fraunhofer is the Quality Manager of the Consortium and will oversee deliverables and general reporting are produced with the best possible quality following agreed review standards.

Fundacion Cidaut

Name of the organisation: Fundacion Cidaut Country: Spain Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: CIDAUT will lead the research activities on materials recycling and compounding, implementing lab scale demonstrators of each process at its premises and, later, supporting end-users upscale the processes.
CIDAUT will perform mechanical tests, microstructural analyses, injection moulding capability studies on the developed materails, and will work with Fraunhofer on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project.

RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV)

Name of the organisation: RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV) Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: RWTH will implement the novel 3D Generative Preforming process (3D Fibre Spraying) that enables to create high-value long fibre-reinforced 3D preforms for thermoplastic and thermoset composites at low process costs (different kinds of yarn as a raw material, low tooling costs due to low cavity pressures). This cost effective technology allows to align the sprayed fibres in order to produce high-performance, engineered anisotropic products.

Universita' di Cagliari

Name of the organisation: Universita' di Cagliari Country: Italy Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: University of Cagliari is one of the leading European organization in the resin design and coupling with thermoplastic and thermose materials. University of Cagliari will support in the definition of the composite materials, both from CFRP/GFRP, ABS and Rare Earth composite material.

Relight

Name of the organisation: Relight Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: RELIGHT will work with ITRB to provide the research partners with residues for the recycled ABS supply and the REE recovery processes, including their HydroWEEE process as part of the processes to be studied and analyzed.

Piaggio Aerospace

Name of the organisation: Piaggio Aerospace Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - large company
Role within the commitment: Piaggio Aerospace is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Piaggio will assist in the compounds selection, provide Fraunhofer with specific corrosion requirements on business jet size aircraft, and will assess that the developed materials performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

Blackshape Aircrafts

Name of the organisation: Blackshape Aircrafts Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: Blackshape Aircrafts is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Blackshape will support to fulfill the requirements of the aeronautics industry on ultra light jet, light jet and trainer for Syllabus, and will assess that the developed alloys performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

KU Leuven

Name of the organisation: KU Leuven Country: Belgium Entity profile: Academia
Role within the commitment: KUL will collaborate on the balance problem studies and will lead the rare earth recovery research with the solvometallurgical and ionometallurgical processes.
KUL will also contribute to the final compounding selection.
KUL is the Dissemination Manager of the project, promoting that all partners are active on the project Dissemination.

FIDAMC

Name of the organisation: FIDAMC Country: Spain Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: FIDAMC is going to lead the Work Package on Compression Moulding with CFRP-enhanced materials. As part of the AIRBUS Group, FIDAMC will also be able to provide the input material.
FIDAMC successfully developed a 3D Printer of own design to serve the Aerospace Industry and will be supporting Smart Lab 3D Industries in its 3D printer design.

COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER

Name of the organisation: COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER Country: Canada Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Composite Innovation Center is one of the world leading organization in the field of Composite materials, both from carbon fiber and vegetal-based fibers.
Composite Innovation center has successfully implemented, at lab-scale, recycling processes for CFRP and GFRP.

Existing EU Contribution: Yes

Period to implement the commitment: from 01-02-2016 to 31-12-2017