IRTC is an international “Round Table” project on approaches towards assessing materials criticality, taking place in the form of workshops at international conferences. The results are consecutively published in the form of joint scientific papers and a Roadmap on Criticality for authorities. The project shall advance the research in criticality assessment, foster international exchange and education in the topic, identify common ground and differences, and raise awareness towards materials criticality, especially in industry. It shall also lay the cornerstone for a long-lasting international network of internationally leading experts. Awareness towards materials criticality, and its crucial role for a circular economy, shall be raised by creating visibility at established conference with […]

Lithium and cobalt are essential for lithium-ion-batteries, which are used in electric vehicles, electronics and electricity storage. As the supply for these minerals is not expected to meet the ever increasing demand, recycling rates for these minerals are very low. Why is this the case and are there solutions? The International Institute for Sustainable Development has published a webinar about those questions.

Are you currently doing, or have you done, research in criticality – as a student, academic, professional or out of personal interest? IRTC is awarding research grants of 500,-€ for your research on Critical Raw Materials. Click here to learn more.

We are glad to announce that on the MatSearch website, a paper outlining the future path of materials research and collaboration in Europe has been published. To read the full paper, please click here.

We have recently added two new highly informative videos to the SusCritMat Youtube channel: In one video, Ester van der Voet from Leiden University talks about scenarios for critical raw materials. As global demand for critical raw materials continues to grow, crucial for an optimal supply of these materials is to predict which ones and how much of them will be needed. Ester van der Voet from Leiden University presents scenarios assessment – a method used to deal with the problem at hand. After giving a short theoretical introduction into the method of scenario assessment, she discusses various scenarios for supply and demand of critical raw materials. In the other video, Stefano […]