EU Raw Materials 2050: Roadmap to Success

Registration for the final conference of the project VERAM – Vision and Roadmap 2050 for European Raw Materials, is now open. The EU Raw Materials 2050: Roadmap to Success conference will take place on 17 April 2018, at Palais des Académies/Paleis der Academiën, in Brussels. Research and innovation organizations, policymakers and representatives of national governments, the European institutions and industry in the raw materials sector are invited to this event to discuss the presentation of a common long-term 2050 vision and roadmap for relevant raw materials including metals, industrial minerals and aggregates, and wood.

Securing reliable and undistorted access to raw materials and developing domestic value chains are crucial to boosting growth, jobs and competitiveness in Europe. At the same time, the acceleration in digitalization, evolution of consumer behaviour, technological innovation and sustainability are all shaping the future of both products and processes. A more coordinated approach towards raw materials management will help reduce current external supply dependency and lead to an efficient use of resources.

The VERAM project, funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, responds to these future challenges by providing an umbrella and coordination function for raw materials related to research and innovation (R&I) activities across Europe.

The long-term vision and roadmap to 2050 aims to tap the full potential of raw materials supply and use in Europe and boost the innovation capacity of the sector. The outcomes of the project, which will be presented during the final conference, will ultimately feed into the ongoing preparation of the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP9).

The final conference will be divided into three main sessions: 

Defining and exploring the playing fields (Scenarios): creating scenarios is a tool for analysing plausible futures. Applied to the raw materials sector, scenarios can identify opportunities and threats. Research and innovation actions minimize the effect of the threats, whilst at the same time they prompt opportunities.

Creating a vision 2030 and 2050 for raw materials: The EU raw materials sector will evolve through increased digitalization and in response to climate change. These changes could dramatically alter the landscape of the sector. Research and innovation actions can help prepare the sector to address these challenges.

Creating a research and innovation roadmap 2050 for raw materials: The VERAM research and innovation action roadmap introduces a specific set of R&I activities to be achieved by 2030-2050 in order to unleash the full potential of raw materials supply and use in Europe and boost the innovation capacity of the sector.

Confirmed speakers from the forest-based sector include Ms Tytti Peltonen (Metsä Group) and Mr Andreas Kleinschmit (the French Institute of Technology for Forest-based and Furniture Sectors).

REGISTER HERE

The draft programme is available here

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to veram@cefic.be

Latest VERAM news featured in the newsletter are also available on the VERAM website.