Deadline Date: April 21, 2026
The European Commission is requesting grant applications to support the development of sustainable and innovative mining technologies to strengthen the responsible supply of raw materials in the European Union.
The focus areas include increasing the availability of efficient, cost-effective and innovative raw materials extraction technologies in the medium and long term, increasing the potential for EU-based primary sourcing of raw materials deposits, improving the responsible supply of raw materials to the EU in line with the objectives of the Critical Raw Materials Act, substantially reducing greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions intensity per ton of extracted material, and improving impacts on habitat protection, ecosystem health and biodiversity.
Actions under this topic should develop and validate new sustainable concepts and technological solutions for mining complex or difficult-to-access mineral deposits, including abandoned mining sites. These actions should address challenges related to accessibility, efficiency, industrial viability, safety, and environmental and health impacts. This includes considerations related to water use, water, soil and air pollution, deforestation, biodiversity, ecosystem health, erosion, desertification, and greenhouse gas intensity associated with extraction activities.
Projects are expected to assess how their technological solutions can deliver measurable biodiversity outcomes. The mining industry and users of the targeted raw materials should play a prominent role in the proposed actions, supported by an appropriate allocation of resources. Proposals should clearly justify the relevance of all targeted minerals and metals, with priority given to EU critical raw materials. Deep sea mining is explicitly excluded from the scope of this topic.
Actions should also envisage clustering activities with other relevant selected projects to enable cross-project cooperation, consultations, joint activities on cross-cutting issues, and the sharing of results. Proposals should include participation in joint meetings and communication events, supported by a dedicated work package or task and the allocation of appropriate resources.
Proposals submitted under this topic must include a business case and a credible exploitation strategy, covering all required elements as outlined in the introduction to the relevant Destination. The topic is funded under Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions, with a total indicative budget of EUR 19 million and an expected EU contribution ranging from EUR 5 million to EUR 7 million per project.
Participation is open to any legal entity, regardless of place of establishment, including entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations, provided that the conditions of the Horizon Europe Regulation and the specific call or topic are met. A legal entity is defined as any natural or legal person recognised under national, EU or international law with legal personality, allowing it to exercise rights and be subject to obligations in its own name.
For more information, visit European Commission.
