Objectives
* To speed up a technology challenge resulting in a higher TRL, bringing the technology closer to the market;
* To accelerate market penetration by dedicating financial resources for a specific segment or target market;
* To facilitate product portfolio diversification, enabling product adaption or new product features to address a concrete market need

Priorities
* Exploration and raw materials resource assessment;
* Mining in challenging environments;
* Increased resource efficiency in mineral and metallurgical processes;
* Recycling and material chain optimisation for End-of-Life products;
* Substitution of critical and toxic materials in products and for optimised performance;
* Design of products and services for the circular economy

Among financed actions
* Exploration: Technologies and solutions for improved and new mineral exploration;
* Intelligent Mining. Technologies and solutions for more efficient, safer and sustainable modern mining;
* Mineral and metallurgical processes: Technologies and solutions for mineral and metal processing and for improved materials production;
* Recycling: Technologies and solutions for materials supply from secondary sources and recycling;
* Substitution of critical and toxic materials and for optimised performance: New technologies or services that make it possible to substitute or use lower quantities of critical or toxic materials in key industries;
* Design of products and services for the Circular economy: Solutions and business models implementing circular concepts, e.g. new business models for resource recovery, product life extension (repairing, re-manufacturing, etc.), product as a service, sharing platforms

Additional information
* This call for proposals is an open call for proposals

* Initial duration of the action: activities strarting from 1st April 2020 and ending before 31st December 2021

* Eligiblity:
– Raw materials relevant start-up or spin-off companies at least registered at the time of application (registration certificate to be provided at the grant signature);
– Raw materials innovation- and technology-related SMEs (according to European Commission’s definitions2), willing to boost their business through the introduction of new and innovative products and/or services;
* The participants must have an operative branch in one of the EU member countries or Countries Associated to Horizon 2020

* Grant amount: up to 200,000 euros