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ESM congratulates the winners of the SusCritMOOC business idea competition
April 13, 2022
The ESM congratulates the two teams who won in the SusCritMOOC business idea competition. At the end of our co-developed MOOC, the participants could submit a business idea proposal that would make critical raw materials management more sustainable. Both teams won 500€ price money together with a
Business Idea Competition SusCritMOOC
December 9, 2021
The first run of our massive open online course "Critical raw materials: managing resources for a sustainable future" was launched on 13th October and went over 7 weeks. As part of the MOOC, there is a business idea competition open for everyone that has an idea about how critical raw materials c
IRTC Business Workshop at the EC Raw Materials Week 2021
December 9, 2021
At the European Commission’s Raw Materials Week 2021, IRTC-Business held a workshop on "How companies improve critical raw materials circularity”. The workshop aimed at showing good practice examples of business strategies that enable a more circular use of critical raw materials. The examples range
ESM celebrates 70 years!
September 27, 2021
On August 20th, ESM celebrated its 70th anniversary in Morges on Lake Geneva. The board of trustees, employees, former board members and invited guests met to review the past 70 years. The celebration included lectures and discussions about the past, but also current topics of the foundation and
WRF 2021 - A Green Deal for Sustainable Resources
September 27, 2021
This year’s World Resources Forum (WRF 2021), co-hosted by the Ghanaian Ministry for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, will run under the theme of “A Green Deal for Sustainable Resources”, with a focus on three main topic stream
Upcoming
Join us in disseminating knowledge and sharing best practice!
SusCritMOOC Seminar in Leiden/Delft
Duration: -
The SusCritMOOC team will hold a live seminar in Leiden/Delft for (future) professionals on the basis of the Massive Open Online Course “Critical Raw Materials: Managing Resources for a Sustainable Future”. The course is targeted at current and future professionals interested in upcoming developments in the CRM field. It will also be an opportunity to connect with experts in the area and invited guests from industry and policy-making. More information will follow on the SusCritMOOC website.
Massive Open Online course SusCritMOOC
Duration: -
On 13th of October, our Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with the name “Critical Raw Materials: Managing Resources for a Sustainable Future” launched officially on edX. The course provides a systemic understanding of CRMs and equips you with tools and strategies for managing them in a sustainable way. The course covers the entire raw materials’ value chain, which help see what actions can be taken at every stage and how you can make informed decisions, and contribute to and benefit from a more sustainable approach to CRMs, regardless of your professional or academic background. Key topics include access to raw materials, environmental and social impacts, geopolitical factors, market dynamics, economics, supply chains, global trends in CRM use, and resource efficiency. You can choose from three different tracks that cover possible solutions from a technical, business or policy perspective. These range from supply risk mitigation, exploration, urban mining and substitution to circularity strategies, business models, responsible sourcing and certification. This course also introduces you to experts, start-ups and projects in the field and inspires you to tackle problems with concrete initiatives. You can register for the upcoming self-paced version of the course on edX.org. For information about SusCritMat in general, you […]
TecDays 2022
Duration: -
The TecDay is a special occasion on which Swiss high school students can get in touch with experts in various scientific areas, have fun and also get interested in science. They can choose three from a large variety of modules in which experts will present a scientific topic in a way students can relate with. The modules have a strong practical relevance. Many also include experiments and explanations with models or small project work. However, the focus is on the exchange with experts from industry, universities, research institutes and non-profit organizations. ESM is also present with a module on critical raw materials and plays the board game “In the Loop” with the students. The aim of the game is to bring them closer to how we deal with raw materials and to show them the complexity of their global value chains. For the first half of 2022, modules are planned for the TecDays at the high schools in Aarau (March 1st), Bellinzona (March 15th) and Zurich (July 8th). Like the previous TecDays, it is organised by our partner SATW.
What We Offer
Since its creation more than 65 years ago, ESM has fostered industrial materials research related to critical elements. Over 2 Mio CHF have been granted to projects in fields where less common elements play a crucial role.
Building Networks
We connect knowledge carriers from academia and industry
Generating Knowledge
We fund relevant studies and foster outstanding students
Supporting Industry
We support industry with knowledge and a network of specialists
