Technologies for innovative processing of raw materials (IA)

Expected outcomes

• The topic does not say whether all outcomes must be addressed; treat them all as relevant.
• For each outcome (EO1 to EO3), name who will use or adopt your results (a specific group, not “industry” or “society”), how they get them, and the indicator that shows the change, with baseline, target and date.
• Use the topic's own words for each outcome, so the evaluator can tick it off.

What the scope asks for

Evaluators check the proposal against these sentences of the scope. Answer each one visibly, in the call's own words.

• “Actions should develop and validate / demonstrate pilot scale facility located in the EU integrating relevant processing and refining technologies for improved recovery of raw materials from low grade and/or complex ores from extractive wastes, reduction of waste and water and air pollution, higher energy efficiency and reduction of land and sea-use change, habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation.”
• “The actions should target minerals and metals, particularly critical raw materials.”
• “The solution proposed should be flexible enough to adapt to different or variable ore grades and extractive waste streams and should be supported by efficient and robust process control.”
• “Where relevant, any solution proposed for the reduction of the content of toxic elements or compounds in the resulting materials should also include the appropriate management of the hazardous substances removed.”
• “Actions should develop intelligent and innovative production systems which better utilise natural resources by minimising losses during waste-rock separation in an optimised and energy-efficient process and by minimising use of water.”
• “Actions should envisage clustering activities with other relevant selected projects for cross-projects co-operation, consultations and joint activities on cross-cutting issues and share of results as well as participating in joint meetings and communication events.”
• “To this end proposals should foresee a dedicated work package and/or task, and earmark the appropriate resources accordingly.”
• “Actions should facilitate the market uptake of solutions developed through industrially- and user-driven multidisciplinary consortia covering the relevant value chain and should consider standardisation aspects when relevant.”
• “The action should also include the analysis of financial opportunities ensuring the market exploitation and replication of the circular business model behind the developed solutions as new processes, products and/or services.”
• “The industry based in the EU, and users of recovered secondary raw materials should assume prominent role in the proposed actions, supported by adequate allocation of resources.”
• “Proposals submitted under this topic should include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination.”
• “International cooperation is encouraged with countries with which the EU has signed Strategic Partnerships on raw materials, especially with Ukraine.”

Conditions that shape the proposal

• Part B, sections 1–3: 40 pages (standard application form). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
• TRL: the topic expects TRL 7 by the end of the project. State where you start and the evidence for it.
• Innovation action: evaluators expect a plausible path to commercialisation and named first users or customers.
• Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout: “In order to include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination, the page limit is exceptionally extended by 3 pages.”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “To increase EU resilience in raw materials supply chains and thus reduce the serious risk to the Union's strategic assets, economic and societal interests, autonomy and security associated with the current EU reliance on a few third countries for critical raw materials, by increasing sustainable and responsible…”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “]], participation in this topic is limited to legal entities established in Member States, associated countries, OECD countries, African Union Member States, MERCOSUR, CARIFORUM, Andean Community and countries with which the EU has concluded strategic partnerships on raw materials[[…”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “]] as well as trade agreements (or association/economic partnership or equivalent agreements, including the new Clean Trade and Investment Partnerships) containing raw materials cooperation provisions (i.e. Energy and Raw materials…”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “Proposals including legal entities which are not established in the countries that fall under the criteria above will be ineligible.”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “For the duly justified and exceptional reasons listed above, in order to guarantee the protection of the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, entities established in an eligible country listed above, but which are directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or a non-eligible country…”

Impact pathway and traps

• The scope expects pilots or demonstration. Name the sites, the partners who run them and what is measured there.
• Standardisation is mentioned. Name the committees or bodies and the partner who engages with them.
• International cooperation is part of the scope. Explain what the non-EU partners add and how the cooperation is organised.
• The topic expects cooperation with other projects or initiatives. Reserve effort and budget for it in the work plan.
• Life-cycle or safe-and-sustainable-by-design assessment is expected. Name the method and where in the work plan it runs.
• Market uptake is part of the scope. Evaluators look for a credible route to market with named first adopters.
• Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
• For each destination impact you claim, show which of your outcomes feeds it. Destination impacts are long-term effects, not project deliverables.
• Name the barriers outside the project (regulation, markets, user behaviour) that could block uptake, and what you will do if they do.
• Section 2.3 (the summary canvas) is optional on this call; the old split into scientific, economic and societal impact is no longer required.