Critical Minerals Accelerating in the Green Economy Centre
The Green Economy Centre is an applied research centre at the University of Exeter, with UKRI investment of £4.5m plus partner contributions, to growing to a £10M project. The Centre builds directly on the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Shared Prosperity Fund investments and previous UKRI-funded research such as the Met4Tech UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre.
Contact: Professor Frances Wall, f.wall@exeter.ac.uk, or criticalminerals@exeter.ac.uk.
Critical Minerals are the raw materials and enablers of the transition to Net Zero, and essential ingredients of all digital technologies and advanced manufacturing. Southwest England is the leading UK region for potential production of critical minerals, with active exploration and development companies, a history of metals mining that led the world and some 70 service and equipment companies (predominantly SMEs and microbusiness) with a global client base.
Development of the sector is recognised as a unique opportunity for economic development in the region. Each new mine will employ 200 – 350 staff, in high-value jobs that are much needed, and each job will create as many as five times the number of indirect jobs. The Centre will accelerate commercialisation of projects for domestic production of critical minerals. It will also help towards security of supply and responsible sourcing of raw materials worldwide by expanding the associated SW industry cluster that is already operating globally. The research is aligned directly to the UK Government’s critical minerals strategy.
The new centre has been created in partnership with multiple businesses, Cornwall, Devon and Somerset Councils, Great South West and regional NGOs as well as some national and multinational partners, DBT and Defra. Six post-doctoral researchers will be employed as innovation fellows to work together with a team of 15 academics and the project partners, starting on three main transdisciplinary work packages plus a set of smaller projects. A six-monthly forum will be held for local Government partners.
The Centre builds on research on geology, mining and minerals at Camborne School of Mines and brings new transdisciplinary, links across the University of Exeter to research in ecology, sustainable investment, social studies, politics and policy to benefit innovation in the region. It will continue to grow and build new relationships and projects.