Der Webservice der EU-Kommission - CORDIS hat die Projektdatenbanken überarbeitet und wichtige Angaben ergänzt. Der neue Suchdienst bietet u. a. folgende Informationen zu den Projekten: Projektinhalte, Finanzierung, Programm, Ausschreibungstopic, Laufzeit; Ergebnisse wie etwa Dokumente, Berichte oder Zusammenfassungen; Weblinks und Publikationen sowie Informationen zum Projektkonsortium und Kontaktdaten der administrativen oder wissenschaftlichen Ansprechpartner des jeweiligen Projektpartners.

Das neue Webportal ist aufrufbar unter:  http://cordis.europa.eu/projects/home_de.html

Non-energy raw materials are vital for the EU’s economy and for the development of environmentally friendly technologies. The EU is the world’s largest consumer of non-energy minerals, but it remains dependent on the importation of many metals, as its domestic production is limited to about 3% of world production. It follows that the European Union faces a number of critical issues that can endanger the security of the highly diversified mineral resources needed by its economy.

ERA-MIN is an ERA-NET on the Industrial Handling of Raw Materials for European Industries. It is aimed at networking and improving the coordination of research programs in the field of industrial production and supply of raw materials, in line with the “EU Raw Materials Initiative”. ERA-MIN focuses on the issues related to the three segments of the non-energy mineral resources: construction minerals, industrial minerals, and metallic minerals. Are concerned the research on primary and secondary resources as well as cross-cutting issues, like environmental impacts mitigation and raising public awareness.

One of the major objectives of ERA-MIN is to establish a Strategic Roadmap for the research on non-energy  raw materials due in October 2013, which will eventually become the basis for a Joint Financing Program. The main aim of the kick-off meeting on February 29^th was the definition of the working groups and the discussion of the topics to be included in the Strategic Roadmap. 

Innovation can be a powerful vehicle in meeting Europe's challenges in the field of raw materials. For example, advanced remote controlled operations and automation in underground mines and the innovative use of bioleaching can make mining in the EU more competitive and sustainable. New recycling techniques or waste collection and treatment best practices have a great potential to improve the efficiency and quality of the recycling of key raw materials.

This situation calls for targeted innovation and research efforts, breakthrough technologies and multidisciplinary approaches to bridge the gaps in our knowledge. To speed this process up, the Commission proposes concrete targets to be achieved by 2020 at the latest:

• Up to ten innovative pilot actions (e.g. demonstration plants) for exploration, extraction and processing, collection and recycling;
• substitutes for at least three key applications of critical and scarce raw materials;
• enhanced efficiency in material use and in prevention, re-use and recycling of valuable raw materials from waste streams, with a specific focus on materials having a potentially negative impact on the environment;
• a Network of Research, Education and Training Centres on Sustainable Mining and Materials Management (M³);
• European standardised statistical instruments for the survey of resources and reserves and a 3-D geological map;
• a dynamic modelling system linking trends in supply and demand and a full lifecycle analysis;
• a pro-active strategy of the EU in multi-lateral organisations and in bilateral relations, such as the US, Japan, Australia in the different areas covered by the Partnership.

Stakeholders will be invited to express their interest in being part of the Partnership in the coming weeks.

The European Innovation Partnership is not a funding instrument. Likewise, it will not replace the conventional decision-making process. Nonetheless, by defining common objectives in the fields relevant to raw materials, this Partnership will promote coherence between the different funding opportunities available.

Zum Jahreswechsel übernahm Prof. Wolfgang A. Kaysser, wissenschaftlich-technischer Geschäftsführer vom Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, den Vorsitz der Bundesvereinigung Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnik (BV MatWerk). Sein Stellvertreter in dieser zweijährigen Amtszeit ist Prof. Christoph Leyens, TU Dresden. Ergänzt wird der Vorstand 2012 - 2013 durch Dr. Pedro Dolabella Portella, BAM Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, der von der Mitgliederversammlung als Generalsekretär bestätigt wurde.