Innovative solutions for the sustainable production for Semiconductor raw materials (IA)

Expected Outcome:Projects outcomes will enable achieving the expected impacts of the destination by increasing access to primary raw materials and secondary raw materials, in particular critical raw materials for EU[1] industrial value chains and strategic sectors.

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Decreased dependency of the EU on imported raw materials for semiconductor production and decreased risk in European semiconductor supply chains. The actions targeting strategic raw materials[2] should contribute to the benchmarks as set out in the Critical Raw Materials Act [3].

• Raw materials for semiconductors competitively produced and refined in the EU in a sustainable and socially acceptable way improving the competitiveness of European industry.
• Increase recovery rates of particularly raw materials from low grade or complex ores and/or from residues and/or by-products and/or extractive waste and/or manufacturing waste.
• Increase the competitiveness and sustainability of mineral processing and refining processes in terms of cost-effectiveness, higher material-, water-, energy-efficiency, emission reduction and flexibility. This may also include the development of more sustainable solvents, reagents, and low-carbon manufacturing processes.
• Foster collaboration among industry stakeholders along the value chain, research institutions, and technology providers to accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable production solutions.
• Improve responsible supply of raw materials to Europe in line with the EU principles for sustainable raw materials[4], which are a non-regulatory set of principles based on the EU acquis. They set out requirements for sustainable raw materials and extraction and processing in Europe in terms of social, environmental, and economic performance.

Scope:Actions should focus on raw materials for semiconductors necessary for the green and digital transition and strategic sectors, such as for example aero-space; including one or more of the following raw materials: antimony, arsenic, bismuth, boron, gallium, germanium, indium, selenium, silicon, tellurium.

Actions should facilitate the market uptake of solutions developed through industrially- and user-driven multidisciplinary consortia covering the relevant value chain from extraction to the production of semiconductor grade raw materials and alloys, as well as relevant downstream industry. Standardisation aspects should be considered when relevant.

Proposals submitted under this topic should include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. For TRLs 6-7, a credible strategy to achieve future full-scale deployment in the EU and encourage long-term industrial collaboration is expected, indicating the intentions of the industrial partners after the end of the project.

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 also contribute to improving the awareness of relevant external stakeholders and the general public across the EU about the importance of raw materials for society, the challenges related to their supply within the EU and about proposed solutions which could help to improve society's acceptance of and trust in sustainable raw materials production in the EU.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and/or gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement, however, should you consider it to be of relevance for your specific proposal, you are strongly encouraged to do it.

[1] Annex 2, Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020 (OJ L, 2024/1252, 3.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1252/oj).

[2] Annex 1, Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020 (OJ L, 2024/1252, 3.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1252/oj).

[3] Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020 (OJ L, 2024/1252, 3.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1252/oj).

[4] European Commission. Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. (2021). EU principles for sustainable raw materials. Publications Office. https://doi.org/10.2873/12856