The EU RFCS funded project CRMs DataSpace “Common European Data Space on Critical Raw Materials for the Green Deal: Recovery Potential from Closed Extractive Coal Waste Facilities” was officially launched on September 29, 2025, at the offices of the Official Board of Mining Engineers of Northwest Spain in Oviedo.
Funded by the European Union’s Research Fund for Coal and Steel, CRMs DataSpace aims to develop a European data space focused on critical raw materials (CRMs) such as lithium, cobalt, and magnesium—essential resources for strategic sectors like renewable energy, digital technologies, defense, and health. The project will create a digital platform with a georeferenced database to identify, evaluate, and map mining deposits that may contain valuable CRMs, especially from closed coal mining facilities.
The initiative will pilot geochemical and metallurgical analyses at selected sites to assess the feasibility of recovering these materials from mining waste. Advanced AI tools will automate data processing and reporting, supporting new business models and sustainable extraction opportunities across Europe.
The consortium, led by GIG-PIB (Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute of Poland), includes partners from Asturias such as the University of Oviedo, SATEC, Fundación CTIC, and Grupo DEX, as well as EUROCOAL and research centres from Spain, Romania, and Germany.
