On 17 November 2025, the National Centre for Research and Development, National Contact Point Department, in cooperation with the NCBR Office in Brussels,  with the support of the Łukasiewicz Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals, organised a networking meeting at its office in Brussels with the aim of strengthening informal links between Polish, European and global stakeholders representing the mineral raw materials sector.

Over 50 participants from 18 countries met to discuss the possibility of establishing partnerships for joint projects to ensure raw material security, in particular the supply of critical raw materials.

The meeting Chairs, Waldemar Dubaniowski, Director of the NCBR Office in Brussels, Maria Śmietanka, Deputy Director of the KPK Department at the NCBR, and Tomasz Smal, Deputy Director of Łukasiewicz IMN, emphasised Poland’s import role in the European raw materials sector, including critical raw materials, which translates into active participation in Horizon Europe projects. In their statements, they expressed their hope that the meeting would contribute to strengthening strategic cooperation for innovation.

The meeting brought together members of Polish and international raw materials community, but also representatives from the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment, the European Commission, as well as various European institutions and initiatives, facilitating a dialogue on research, development, and innovation priorities for the mineral raw materials sector within the framework of European policies, particularly the Critical Raw Materials Act.

Wojciech Kupka (Ministry of Infrastructure and Development) emphasized that Poland is prioritizing the implementation of European legislation on mineral resources. The national legislation currently under development will establish a legal framework for introducing CRMA measures at the national level. The planned update of the national raw materials policy aims to ensure alignment with EU regulations, integration with other state strategies, and enhanced security of supply of raw materials – strengthening Poland’s position within European raw materials policy.

Representatives of the European Commission (DG GROW), Tatiana Lopez Garrido and Magdalena Brussel-Jacaszek, presented the European Commission’s proposition of the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and the new Horizon Europe, programmes for competitiveness and innovation in the new financial perspective (2028-2034), in the context of raw materials policies. The European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) aims to fill the gap in financing projects from research to implementation by offering flexible mechanisms and mobilising private capital to increase the EU’s competitiveness. With a budget of €234 billion and strong links to Horizon Europe (€175 billion), the EFC will create a seamless path from innovation to market in key areas such as industrial transformation, digitalisation, health and biotechnology, as well as resilience and security, including raw materials.

In a discussion moderated by Kamila Słupek, Director at EuroMetaux, participants emphasised the strategic importance of raw materials for European value chains and the need to increase the budget for this area in FP10, while strengthening European partnerships and initiatives. They pointed to a gap in financing the transition from research to full-scale production (TRL 7-9), which requires better coordination of national and EU instruments to bridge. They stressed that capital is available, but the commercialisation of innovation, lack of human resources, and social and environmental issues throughout the value chain remain barriers.

The opinion was expressed that Poland and other Member States must actively participate in European partnerships and networks without waiting for initiatives from Brussels, while making use of their own critical raw material resources. This is crucial for reducing the EU’s dependence on imports and increasing raw material security. Poland’s copper and silver resources, as well as its coking coal, are very important in this context.

Attention was drawn to the global nature of the raw materials crisis and the need for partnerships between demand regions and resource-rich countries, as well as the development of raw materials diplomacy. Europe must move from a national and EU perspective to a global one, while maintaining strong financial instruments and international cooperation.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to showcase participants’ research and innovation achievements through e-posters, including outcomes of international collaboration projects and partnership offers related to upcoming Horizon Europe calls in the field of mineral resources.

E-posters of the meeting participants are available here.

Participants considered the meeting, held as an official side event, to be a highly successful introduction to the upcoming European Raw Materials Week 2025.

The organizers, the Industry NCBR/DKPK team: Elżbieta Pietrzykowska, Małgorzata Kapica, and Jarosław Piekarski, together with Maciej Zdanowicz from the NCBR Office in Brussels. would like to thank all participants for their commitment and effective networking, and extend special thanks to Daniel Cios (DG GROW, European Commission) for his support in making the event possible. They are confident that the meeting will contribute to strengthening cooperation in research and innovation between Polish and international communities involved in raw materials.

Contact:

jaroslaw.piekarski@ncbr.gov.pl

elzbieta.pietrzykowska@ncbr.gov.pl