CLIC Innovation: REMHub Project Develops a Digital Innovation Hub for Rare Earth Elements and Rare Magnets

Rare earth elements and rare magnets play a crucial role in advancing the green energy transition and achieving the goals of the European Green Deal. While the EU currently relies heavily on imports from a few countries— with approximately 90% of REEs* coming from outside the EU—this presents an opportunity to develop European expertise and forge strategic partnerships in rare earth metals processing. Strengthening these capabilities within Europe is key to reaching our ambitious targets. Additionally, while challenges remain in REEs recycling, with current rates being less than 5% and some extraction processes needing sustainability improvements, these challenges also present a significant potential for innovation and growth. As demand for REEs increases, driven by their use in electric vehicles, wind turbine motors, and electrolysers for clean hydrogen, there is a tremendous opportunity to enhance recycling efforts and establish more sustainable extraction processes within the EU.

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Project targets and development areas

REMHub will develop, test and pilot novel technologies for the exploration and primary production of rare earth elements and for recovering them from side streams to enhance supply security of REEs and rare magnets in the EU. In addition, the project will develop Re-X (Recycle, Reuse, refurbishment and repurposing) technologies for rare earths and valuable metals from end-of-life products as well as electric machine design for easier permanent magnet recycling. The project will also identify and engage relevant stakeholders to develop REE value chains in the EU. The innovation hub will ensure that the novel technologies developed in the project will be commercialized and offered as services via digital platform in the future.

The project’s multi-stakeholder communication and dissemination efforts are designed to actively involve and engage the public and various stakeholders, fostering trust and raising awareness about the importance of REEs. These activities also aim to build essential capacities within the EU. The hub focuses on transformative material sourcing for REEs and REE magnets, including innovations in traceability, digital twinning, and digital passports. Our project partners span the entire REE value chain, from mineral exploration and processing to metal production, magnet manufacturing, and recycling.

The project is committed to a safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) framework, embracing a Re-X approach that prioritizes recycling, reuse, refurbishment, and repurposing, while integrating features for easy dismantling and circularity. REMHub is set to significantly enhance the security of REE supply in the EU. With the support of our digital innovation hub, it will accelerate the development of technologies and services, enabling faster and easier market entry. By the conclusion of the project, future organizations will find it much easier to access sustainably developed REE expert services within the EU.

Project in a nutshell

The project will commence at the beginning of October and last for four years. The project consortium consists of 24 partners from six countries: Finland, Estonia, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Italy. The project preparation and consortium coordination were led by the Finnish organization CLIC Innovation, which also serves as the project coordinator. The estimated total volume of the project is 18 million euros, of which 16 million euros is EU funding. The EU Horizon "resilient value chains" funding instrument supports European sustainable development value chain projects with financing from the European Commission.

* source: https://scrreen.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SCRREEN2_factsheets_REE-EUROSTAT.pdf

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