After four years of research, the RESPECT and FREE4LIB projects are coming together for a joint final event on 2 June 2026 in Brussels — and registrations are now open.
Taking place at the Renaissance Brussels Hotel and accessible online, the full-day event will bring together researchers, industry professionals and policymakers to reflect on four years of advances in sustainable battery recycling and critical raw material recovery.
The programme will feature presentations of key project results, expert panel discussions, and dedicated networking opportunities — offering attendees a unique chance to engage with the latest developments in the battery value chain and connect with the wider European research community.
Whether you are working in academia, industry or policy, this event is your opportunity to discover what RESPECT and FREE4LIB have achieved — and to help shape the conversations that will define what comes next.
You can secure your spot here.
The webinar will explore key topics in hydrometallurgy through two high-level expert presentations:
- The Lindy Effect in Hydrometallurgy – Prof. Koen Binnemans (KUL) (11:00-12:00 CET)
The presentation discusses why established hydrometallurgical technologies remain dominant and why the adoption of new approaches can be challenging. This concept explains industrial hesitation to adopt, as capital-intensive projects favor low-risk, established methods over novel, often less-durable alternatives. - Reagent Recovery and Recycling by Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis (BPED) – Emma-Liisa Lappalainen – Research Scientist VTT (12:00-13:00 CET)
The presentation discusses the use of bipolar membrane electrodialysis for sulphate treatment and the regeneration of acid and base products. It explores its potential to support more sustainable and resource-efficient hydrometallurgical processes.
The webinar is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers, and all those interested in expanding their knowledge on current developments in hydrometallurgy.
Registered participants will receive the Zoom link prior to the webinar.
Horizon Europe projects LITHOS, EXCEED, and XTRACT are co-organising a capacity-building webinar on April 29 at 13:00 CET focusing on sustainability assessment, (Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) and Techno Economical Assessment (TEA) in mining and processing activities for critical raw materials (CRMs) production.
The agenda includes the following topics:
- Introduction to LCA of CRMs: the case of battery-grade lithium production, presented by Dr. Georgios Bartzas, Senior Researcher
- Sustainable and Cost-Effective Lithium Extraction from Li-bearing hard rock ores: Process Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis using SUPERPRO Designer presented by Associate Professor Dimitrios Ipsakis
- From Environmental Thinking to Social Insight: Introducing Social-LCA, presented by Mrs. Antonia Papadaki, Researcher
The webinar is open to undergraduate and graduate students, early-stage researchers, and professionals interested in enhancing their knowledge in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) and Techno Economical Assessment (TEA), with a focus on their application in mining and processing activities for critical raw materials (CRMs).
This joint initiative aims to communicate the scientific achievements of each project, while strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange among projects working towards sustainable and responsible mining of critical raw materials.
If you are interested, please register here by 26 April 2026!
Registered participants will receive an email with the Capacity Building Seminar’s Zoom link.
The RENOVATE project is organising its clustering workshop on 5 May 2026 at the Innovhub Stazioni Sperimentali per l’Industria (SSI).
Organised by LOMARTOV, D&C leaders, together with INSTM, the project coordinator, the event will bring together research, industry, innovators, sustainability experts and European and regional circular battery clusters. The goal is to explore the latest EU opportunities and policies that support a resilient, climate-neutral, and competitive European battery value chain.
The event will feature keynote sessions, roundtable discussions, and interactive sessions designed to foster collaboration across the battery ecosystem. By connecting diverse perspectives and identifying cross-sector synergies, the event aims to accelerate the deployment of innovative circular battery solutions.
The registration is free but mandatory. Places are limited.
More info about the event, including the agenda, available at the following link.
[In-person & Livestreamed event]
Electric vehicle batteries are a key technology for the EU’s decarbonisation and transition to clean mobility. As demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to significantly increase in the coming years, building an EU industrial ecosystem for battery circularity can deliver both environmental benefits and economic value for the EU. While the new EU policy landscape is being reshaped with new frameworks such as the Batteries Regulation, the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Industrial Accelerator Act, questions remain about how to translate policy ambition into effective industrial ecosystems for batteries circularity.
This policy-focused event draws on lessons learned from the implementation of the BATRAW project to discuss current challenges and the necessary conditions for scaling up circularity applications for EV battery packs in the EU. Topics to be addressed include regulatory constraints, information and data gaps and market-related challenges affecting recycling and reuse operations across the battery value chain. The discussion will also highlight key enablers and policy instruments for creating the conditions for investment and innovation in battery circularity applications.
Organised in the context of the BATRAW EU-funded project the event will bring together stakeholders from the region (policy makers at different governance levels, industry stakeholders and civil society representatives) to exchange views on how EU and national policies can accelerate the deployment of circular battery solutions and support the EU’s decarbonisation goals.
Europe’s path to climate neutrality depends on critical minerals (lithium, rare earths, nickel, cobalt), which are all increasingly being weaponised in today’s World of Fortresses (dixit Mark Carney). This situation is further exacerbated as a result of (another) war in the Middle East. While recycling and circularity are essential, they cannot fully meet the scale of the cleantech transition. This is now even more true as AI/digitalisation and defense applications are further boosting the demand for critical minerals.
Primary mining and refining of critical minerals will remain necessary. But history shows that mining can bring profound environmental, social and cultural disruption, especially for local and indigenous communities. So the real challenge is not only whether we mine – but under which conditions, and with whom at the table.
The organisers of the present event advocate a shift from “top-down-pushing-it-down-your throat-kind-of-acceptance-approach” to genuine co-creation. We promote community-centric, benefit-sharing approaches where local communities are recognised as active stakeholders in resource governance.
Because the energy transition must also be a just transition. Industry, trade unions, NGOs, indigenous representatives and community voices, policymakers and researchers will engage in an open, respectful dialogue where parties should not only speak but also genuinely LISTEN. We do not seek to secure approval, but to build authentic social contracts for responsible mineral/metal production. The programme combines a global perspective (with inspirational non-EU speakers), a European perspective and a Nordic perspective. In the final session we will wrap it all up and see if we have developed more common ground.
“The energy transition cannot succeed without critical minerals. But it cannot succeed without social legitimacy either.“
Download the event’s programme
What makes leaching and bioleaching truly work? The answer lies in reactor design. This webinar dives into the science behind mixing, mass transfer, and bioreactor performance – revealing how smart design decisions can boost extraction efficiency and sustainability. Drawing on insights from Horizon Europe projects, the webinar will discuss current research and emerging strategies addressing these reactor design challenges.
The next webinar from the METALLICO Webinar Series is coming up, and we are very happy to invite you to join us for the webinar entitled “How Reactors for Leaching and Bioleaching are working – Insights from research to practice”
The session will take place on 9th of March 2026 from 13:30-15:30 (CET).
The webinar will focus on the topic of reactor design for leaching and bioleaching. It will present scientific and technical perspectives from the European research projects METALLICO, RESPECT, Tetalead and XTRACT and discuss how current research contributes to more efficient and sustainable reactor designs.
The ENICON 4th Capacity Building Webinar, titled “Critical Raw Materials and Sustainable Metallurgy: Novel Refining Technologies and Advanced Simulation Tools”, will take place online on 8 December.
Registration remains open until 7 December 2025.
Registered participants will receive an email with the link to attend the seminar.
Discover ENICON’s recent advancements in sustainable metallurgy and process simulation
Join us to explore innovative approaches to critical raw materials, electrifying metallurgical processes, and advanced simulation tools for techno-economic and environmental assessment through two high-level expert presentations.
- Mineral and metal criticality in Europe’s energy transition, addressing essential materials and emerging refining technologies like ENICON’s electrifying metallurgy- Prof. Mari Lundström (AALTO University)-(14:00-15:00 CET).
- Innovative tools for process simulation, Techno-economic and environmental assessment – an introduction to the SUPERPRO platform- Assoc. Professor Dr. Dimitris Ipsakis (TUC) (15:00-16:00 CET).
The webinar is addressing undergraduate and graduate students, early-stage researchers and professionals interested in advancing their expertise in sustainable metallurgy and process simulation.
Join the 2nd Capacity-Building Webinar of LITHOS project, focused on low-cost and sustainable routes for developing new pathways for processing and refining lithium in Europe.
The webinar features two high-level presentations followed by a brief Q&A:
“Strategies, Opportunities, and Challenges for the Development of LCIs for Battery Raw Materials” (11:00–12:00 CET)
Dr. Aina Mas Fons — Research Engineer, BRGM (France)
An overview of methods, opportunities and challenges for developing life-cycle inventories (LCIs) for battery raw materials
“LITHOS WP2: Preliminary findings on characterisation and beneficiation test work”
Dr. Jussi Liipo — Director, Geometallurgy & Mineralogy (12:00–13:00CEΤ )
Annukka Aaltonen Msc, Technology Manager, Metso (Finland)
Presentation of initial test results and early insights into mineral characterisation and beneficiation approaches being tested within LITHOS.
The webinar is addressed to:
- undergraduate and graduate students
- early-stage researchers
- professionals interested in advancing their expertise in the fields of mineral processing and LCIs
Interested participants are invited to register here.
Registered participants will receive an email with the link for the webinar.
Save the date on Friday 28th of November 11:00–13:00 CET / Horizon Europe CICERO is organising the 2nd Capacity Building Webinar entitled “Advances in Circular Hydrometallurgy – Insights from the HE CICERO Project”
Discover the latest insights and innovations in circular hydrometallurgy through two high-level presentations:
- The 12 Principles of Circular Hydrometallurgy -Professor Koen Binnemans -KU-Leuven (11:00–12:00 CET)
- Electrowinning of Metals from Aqueous Solutions: The Potential of Methane Sulfonic Acid as Electrolyte -Siri Marie Skaftun – SINTEF (12:00–13:00 CET)
This capacity building webinar aims to strengthen knowledge and skills in circular hydrometallurgy.
Target audience
It is addressed to undergraduate and graduate students, early-stage researchers, and professionals interested in advancing their expertise in circular hydrometallurgy.
Interested parties are invited to register here by 27/11/2025.
Registered participants will receive an email with the link for the seminar.
Website managed by PNO Innovation