New Center for German Raw Materials Research
Five leading German research institutions from the commodities sector have signed a cooperative agreement for the new joint project "German Resource Research Institute" or GERRI. The project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF, will reinforce German raw materials research for international competition.
The new joint project is a collaboration between partners TU Bergakademie Freiberg, RWTH Aachen, TU Clausthal, the Fraunhofer IWKS project group from Fraunhofer ISC, and the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, HIF. The project team's goal is to gather the national raw materials competences, infrastructures, and strategies within the GERRI virtual institute and to synchronize and coordinate them with each other. Geman research along the value added chain of non-energy, mineral resources is also to be propelled forward internationally. Focus is on high-technology metals and other strategic economic raw materials that are particularly important for the implementation of new future technologies. The HIF, which belongs to the Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf or HZDR serves as the network coordinator.
Additionally there are plans for GERRI to be included in the European EIT raw materials network. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology, EIT, has commissioned an international consortium for its set up; the HZDR and Fraunhofer Association will assume responsibility of the management until an executive management team has been implemented.The goal is to increase the competitive ability and attractiveness of the European commodities sector. Training, research, and innovation, are also to be improved in this important field.
GERRI is embedded in the funding priority "r4 – Innovative Technologis for Resource Efficiency – Research for Supplying Strategic Economic Raw Materials" of the framework program "Research for Sustainable Development, FONA" of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The BMBF funds joint projects from science and industry with up to 60 million Euros, in order to expand research, development, and innovation in the commodities sector. After the five-year funding duration GERRI will continue to independently exist as a network and finance itself with funds aquired from industry and research. By that time the project team will virtually network all the other important German partners in raw materials research.
Additional Information
Philipp Büttner | Project Coordinator
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology at the HZDR
Phone: 0351 260 4417
Email: p.buettner@hzdr.de
Press Contact
Tina Schulz | Press and Public Relations
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology at the HZDR
Phone: 0351 260 4427
Email: t.schulz@hzdr.de