Securing Europe's critical raw materials: the RAMP partnership

Critical raw materials are the building blocks of Europe's green and digital transition. They are essential for manufacturing the technologies that underpin a climate-neutral economy, from electric vehicle batteries and wind turbines to semiconductors, to medical devices. Lithium, cobalt and nickel are indispensable for batteries, while rare earth metals are used to produce the permanent magnets found in wind turbine motors and electric vehicles. 

Demand for these materials is set to grow rapidly over the coming decades. The EU demand for lithium is expected to increase twelve-fold by 2030 and twenty-one-fold by 2050¹. Demand for rare earth metals is projected to grow six-fold by 2030 and seven-fold by 2050¹, reflecting the accelerating deployment of clean energy technologies and digital infrastructure. 

At the same time, Europe remains heavily dependent on imports for many of these strategic resources. Today, 97% of the EU's magnesium comes from China, 98% of its borates are imported from Türkiye, and China accounts for virtually all of the world's rare earth refining used for permanent magnets¹. The risks of relying on a limited number of suppliers for materials that are essential to Europe's economy and security are clear. 

To strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of European industry, the EU adopted the Critical Raw Materials Act, which sets ambitious targets for 2030. The Act aims for the EU to extract at least 10% of its annual consumption of strategic raw materials, process at least 40% within Europe, and recycle at least 15%. It also seeks to diversify supply chains so that no more than 65% of any strategic raw material comes from a single third country¹. Together, these measures are intended to build a more secure, sustainable and circular European raw materials value chain, from exploration and extraction to processing, recycling and recovery. 

To help achieve these objectives, the European Union is investing in research and innovation through projects like RAMP, the Raw Materials Partnership for the Green and Digital Transition, a long-term co-funded partnership under Horizon Europe. Bringing together 56 partners from 33 countries, RAMP will align European, national and regional funding to support collaborative research across the entire raw materials value chain. 

Now in its launch phase, with a total budget of approximately €300 million, including a €90 million contribution from the European Union, the partnership will launch seven transnational funding calls between 2025 and 2037. These calls will support collaborative projects involving academia, industry, public authorities and other stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that strengthen Europe's raw materials ecosystem. 

RAMP takes a holistic approach, supporting research from the sustainable supply of primary raw materials to improved product design, efficient manufacturing, reuse, recycling and recovery. It also addresses cross-cutting priorities such as sustainability, policy and regulation, and the skills needed to build a competitive and resilient European raw materials sector. 

By fostering collaboration across countries and disciplines, RAMP aims to accelerate the development of new knowledge and technologies, strengthen European value chains, and reduce strategic dependencies. In doing so, it will help ensure that Europe has the resources and expertise needed to support the green and digital transition while advancing a more sustainable and circular economy. 

RAMP’s first Joint Transnational Call is now open, offering nearly €40 million to support transnational research and innovation projects across the raw materials value chain.

_{¹ European Commission data, available in the European Critical Raw Materials Act factsheet.}

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