EIT RawMaterials

🚀 Apply for funding of your innovation project! The KAVA 14 Upscaling Call is now open!



If you’re working on a validated technology in the raw materials sector and are ready to scale and commercialise it, this is your chance to take the next step. Apply for funding !



What’s on offer:

• €500K–€2.5M funding per project

• Support to scale technologies from TRL 5+ to market readiness (targeting TRL 8)

• Strong focus on commercialisation and real-world impact



👥 Who should apply?

Consortia bringing together industry, research, and education partners, ready to collaborate and scale innovation across Europe



📅 First cut-off date: 24 June 2026



🔗 Learn more and apply: https://eitrawmaterials.eu/kava-call-14-upscaling



Don't miss this opportunity to be part of the next generation of innovations shaping Europe’s raw materials sector!

5 days left. If you've been thinking about it — this is the moment. ⏳

Applications for EIT Jumpstarter 2026 close on 17 May at 23:59 CET.

This is your chance to turn a raw materials innovation into a structured, funded, investor-ready startup — with expert mentorship, in-person training, and up to €10,000 in prizes.

No equity required.

📅 Deadline: 17 May 2026, 23:59 CET
👉 Apply now: https://eitrawmaterials.eu/eit-jumpstarter-2026

Know someone who should apply? Tag them — there's still time. 👇

Europe cannot afford to lose its smelting capacity.

A timely perspective from Trafigura CEO Richard Holtum highlights a critical reality: while energy security has dominated recent debates, metals processing is emerging as an equally strategic vulnerability.

Smelters are not just industrial infrastructure — they underpin defence, mobility, construction, and high-tech value chains. Yet Europe has already lost nearly a third of its base metal smelting capacity over the past decade.

The risks are structural:
• High energy costs eroding margins
• Competition from subsidised producers
• Underinvestment in critical by-product recovery

At the same time, Europe still holds a decisive advantage: an existing industrial base, technical expertise, and midstream processing capacity that would take decades to rebuild if lost.

The path forward is clear:
→ Protect existing assets through coherent energy policy
→ Enable viable business cases for critical minerals
→ Invest in modernisation and system integration

This is not purely a market challenge. Strategic resilience, security of supply, and industrial sovereignty require coordinated public and private action.

Richard Holtum will open the EIT RawMaterials Summit 2026 on 20 May in Brussels, where this discussion will continue with industry and policy leaders.

🔗 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dHqfK_Ah

"We had the idea and the technology — the program helped us understand how to build a startup around it." 🔧

Jakov Kukin co-founded Luxyon (formerly Total Energy) through EIT Jumpstarter 2024.

He came in with a concept.
He left with a validated business model, mentors, and industry contacts.

Sound familiar? Apply before 8 May.

🔗 Link in bio

Tag a researcher who should know about this 👇

What does a winning idea look like at EIT Jumpstarter? 🚀

Here’s a glimpse into the kinds of concepts that stood out — and why they worked:

🌍 Turning data into decisions
Startups like Matvision and DeepWaves leveraged AI to transform complex geological and resource data into real-time, actionable insights. The takeaway? Ideas that simplify complexity and improve decision-making at scale stand out.

⚡ Solving real energy challenges
Luxyon focused on next-gen solar technology with flexible perovskite films — tackling efficiency, adaptability, and deployment barriers. Strong ideas don’t just innovate — they address urgent, real-world problems.

🧠 Making expertise accessible
Platforms like AccEARTH brought advanced geoscience tools to the cloud, opening access to users beyond traditional experts. Winning ideas often democratize knowledge and unlock new users.

💡 So what do these have in common?
✔ Clear problem-solution fit
✔ Scalable impact
✔ Strong use of technology
✔ Relevance to global challenges

If you’re thinking about applying to EIT Jumpstarter, take notes: it’s not just about having an idea — it’s about solving the right problem in the right way.

Ready to build yours? Link in the comments 👇

Burak Yaşasın founded Chitolastic with a promising scientific idea — but wasn't sure how to turn it into a real business.

EIT Jumpstarter changed that.

"Before JumpStarter, the biggest barrier was the uncertainty and hesitation that comes with turning a scientific idea into a real business. The program gave us the confidence and courage we needed to take that step."

— Burak Yaşasın, Founder, Chitolastic | EIT Jumpstarter 2024 Winner

Today, Chitolastic has officially registered as a company, increased its visibility, and started a pilot collaboration — built on the network and mentorship from the programme. 🦾

If this sounds familiar, the EIT Jumpstarter 2026 could be for you.

📅 Application deadline is approaching!
Get the details 👉 https://eitrawmaterials.eu/eit-jumpstarter-2026

Tag someone who has the idea but needs the push 👇

The EIT RawMaterials Summit 2026 agenda is live! 📣

Two days. Five tracks. 16+ sessions built around what it takes to accelerate Europe's competitiveness.

Here's what's on the table:

🔒 Strategic — Defence readiness, CRM project finance, and what Japan, Australia and Canada are doing that Europe needs to learn — fast.

♻️ Circular — Circularity as strategic depth, not a sustainability checkbox. Secondary markets, design-for-recovery, and the business case for closing the loop.

🌍 Global — Three Commission Directorates. One room. How Europe's €3bn RESourceEU commitment moves from architecture to action — and how Global Gateway is actually securing supply chains.

💡 Innovation — AI as a materials megatrend. R&D to commercial scale. And the hard question: why does Europe lead on research but struggle to scale?

🎓 People & Skills — Students and early-career professionals from EIT RawMaterials programmes take the stage. They'll tell industry what draws them to materials careers — and what drives them away. Industry should listen.

CEOs, ministers, EU officials, and institutional investors are already registered.

If you're deploying capital, scaling technology, securing supply or shaping policy, this is the summit you can’t afford to miss.

Explore the full agenda 👇

https://brnw.ch/21x0eTG

🚀 Europe's Raw Materials Race Is Accelerating

Global competition is rising fast. Circularity requirements are tightening. Europe's need for strategic resilience has never been greater.

With the CRM Act, Circular Economy Act, and RESourceEU now entering full implementation, the shift from strategy to scale is well underway.

Today, we're thrilled to launch the EIT RawMaterials Summit 2026 theme: 'Accelerating Europe's Competitiveness' — built on five pillars shaping the industrial landscape:
🎯 STRATEGIC – Scaling domestic extraction, processing & refining
♻️ CIRCULAR – Advancing recycling and secondary material markets
🌍 GLOBAL – Strengthening materials diplomacy & strategic partnerships
🚀 INNOVATION – Taking technologies from lab to plant
👥 PEOPLE & SKILLS – Building Europe's workforce for 2030 and beyond

📅 May 19–21, 2026 | The EGG Brussels

No other forum convenes Europe's entire raw materials ecosystem with this depth:

Where innovation meets investment. Where policy becomes action.

Where pilots become production. Where partnerships unlock deployment at scale.

And this year, the urgency could not be greater.

If you're financing, scaling, supplying, or shaping Europe's materials future, this is the forum you can't miss!

⚡ Early-bird registration is now open. 20% off until 30 January.
🔗 Secure your place: https://brnw.ch/21wYckg