The European Union has launched a €49 million Horizon Europe funding programme to support technologies for critical-minerals processing and refining, with around four projects expected to receive between €10 million and €12.5 million each.
The programme targets technologies for processing low-grade and complex ores, concentrates and extractive waste, with critical raw materials receiving priority. Projects must operate at Technology Readiness Levels 6-7, meaning developers are expected to demonstrate their technologies at pilot or relevant industrial scale. Eligible solutions include mineral beneficiation, separation, hydrometallurgy, refining and metal recovery from mining waste. Projects are also expected to reduce energy and water consumption, waste generation and pollution.
EU targets Europe’s processing gap
The funding comes as Europe seeks to expand domestic supply chains for lithium, rare earths, graphite and other critical raw materials. While mining projects have received increasing attention, limited processing and refining capacity remains a major constraint.
Demonstration facilities must be located in the EU, while industrial companies and downstream users are expected to participate in project consortia. The programme could therefore support cooperation between mining companies, engineering firms, technology developers and industrial buyers.
The funding may be particularly valuable for smaller developers because non-dilutive EU grants can help cover the expensive transition from laboratory testing to pilot-scale operations. The emphasis on TRL 6-7 also reflects a wider shift toward technologies that can progress beyond research and eventually be integrated into commercial mines and refineries. The key measure of the programme will be whether its funding can help turn promising pilot technologies into commercially viable European processing capacity.
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