European Innovation Partnership (EIP)

The supply of raw materials, the lifeblood of today's high-tech industry, is increasingly under pressure. With a view to increasing the availability of raw materials for Europe, the European Commission has proposed a European Innovation Partnership on raw materials.

Innovation can be a powerful vehicle in meeting Europe's challenges in the field of raw materials. For example, new technologies can help to extract deeper, in more remote areas and under harsh conditions.

Action is also needed to develop substitutes for critical raw materials and to improve recycling of, among others, the 17 kg electric and electronic equipment waste that each EU citizen produces annually today.

The current situation calls for targeted innovation and research efforts, breakthrough technologies and multidisciplinary approaches, as well as demand-side interventions (e.g. standards, public procurement, regulatory measures).

The Innovation Partnership brings together, among others, EU countries, companies, researchers and NGOs to promote innovative solutions to Europe's raw materials challenge.