EGARoh projects and EGARoh_Junior research groups at HIF

The funding measure

To implement the objectives of the Critical Raw Materials Act, Germany has established the funding initiatives EGARoh and EGARoh_Junior. Both are part of the FONA Strategy of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), which aims to promote research for sustainability. EGARoh stands for “New Approaches to the Exploration, Extraction, and Processing of Primary Raw Materials in the Context of National and European Cooperation” and aims to research and develop technological innovations for the exploration, extraction, and processing of primary mineral raw materials. The goal is to achieve progress through strategic partnerships between academia and industry that can be put into practice within three to five years.

With the EGARoh_Junior funding initiative, “Funding of International Junior Research Groups to Support the Need for Skilled Workers in the Exploration, Extraction, and Processing of Primary Raw Materials,” the BMFTR is addressing the need to secure a skilled workforce in the raw materials sector. With the cessation of ore mining in Germany in the early 1990s, career prospects in research and industry were lost. To reposition itself more effectively in this field and accelerate networking with stakeholders in the raw materials sector, the Ministry supports outstanding young scientists by enabling them to establish a junior research group. This is intended to improve the knowledge base in Germany and support the skilled workforce market.

Our Projects

The HIF is actively involved in 4 projects, 2 junior research groups and a co-coordinator role in the transfer project EGARoh-Connect. The projects combine the expertise in technology and process development in the areas of raw material exploration and characterization, as well as in processing and metallurgy.

All projects share an interdisciplinary approach and close cooperation with partners from science and industry.

The HIF is involved in the following projects:

• Connect - Transfer project
• DigIT
• STREAM
• NahGold
• PARFEKD

The HIF is involved in the following junior research groups:

• REEHydroMin
• PURE