1.- A logo was born. For the development of the CRMsDataSpace project brand, we have based ourselves on three concepts:
By combining these three concepts, an icon has been created to symbolise the interoperable platform that will centralise standardised information on critical raw materials (CRMs). The stylised crystals represent critical raw materials recoverable from inactive deposits, and their interconnection emphasises collaboration between member states:
Download the logo creation process
2.- CRMsDataSpace Project was presented at the High-level RFCS Event “European Coal in Transition: from an industrial legend to cutting-edge research for the future” organised by EURACOAL and the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency (REA) (Carbonarium, Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Poland, 15 May 2025).
Download the Agenda of the Event
The conference was hosted by Europe’s largest coking coal company, Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A., to discuss the challenges facing the coal sector, with a particular focus on the roles of science, technology and engineering in the EU’s green transformation and its raw material supply security.
The Polish Minister of Industry, Marzena Czarnecka, under whose auspices the conference was held, spoke about the need for a responsible transformation of the coal industry in Silesia – a region close to her heart with fantastic people and rich traditions. She welcomed the many women present from a male-dominated industry.
The Director-General for Research and Innovation, Marc Lemaître, thanked the Polish-EU presidency for facilitating the event in Jastrzębie-Zdrój just a few days after Europe Day, on 9 May, to celebrate Robert Schuman’s proposal of 1950 to establish the European Coal and Steel Community for peace and prosperity. Today, he continued, the Research Fund for Coal and Steel supports industrial transition in the coal regions as the EU moves to climate neutrality. The Director-General spoke positively about the range of projects supported at former coal mines and power plants, some reaching a technology readiness level (TRL) of 8. The fund complements the €7.5 billion Just Transition Fund, and here he pointed to the €3.8 billion allocation to Polish coal regions. Mr. Lemaître wished participants a successful event and encouraged applications to the RFCS’s two annual calls, including the “big-ticket” calls under which €36.6 million had been awarded since 2021.
Mr. Marc Tachelet, Director of the European Research Executive Agency, introduced this international conference, which brought together key policymakers, research engineers, and representatives from the coal industry and regions across the European Union. The event, held under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the European Union, was attended by 200 representatives from the Polish Ministry of Industry, including the Polish Minister of Industry, Marzena Czarnecka, the European Commission, and the European Research Executive Agency, as well as research scientists and industrialists from across Europe.
On behalf of EURACOAL, President Krzemień thanked all the keynote speakers for joining the conference to share their unique perspectives and observations. She was especially delighted that the event was being held under the patronage of the Ministry of Industry and had attracted members of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) as well as many from industry. The aim, she said, was to demonstrate how EU and national funds were being used to make positive impacts in the mining sector.
On EURACOAL, she remarked on the association’s recent strategic shift to focus on “powering transition in Europe”, with tasks on reliable energy, recultivating land, repurposing sites, reducing methane and research for the future. She was pleased that the Vice-Marshall had recognised this precise alignment with EU policy as a positive step. Following a successful conference in 2024 in Oviedo, Prof. Krzemień looked forward to fruitful discussions in Jastrzębie-Zdrój and to the next RFCS dissemination event in 2026.
Regarding the Critical Raw Materials Act of 2024, President Krzemień noted that it aims to ensure a sustainable and secure supply of critical raw materials for European industry. In response to this Act, she presented the new RFCS project, CRMsDataSpace, which will survey the extent to which critical raw materials can be recovered from mining waste at tens of thousands of sites across Europe. Member States must establish public databases containing the information needed to support recovery projects. CRMsDataSpace meets that need using the very latest digital tools to deliver a “Common European Data Space”. Once populated with data, project developers can use this database to assess project opportunities.
Sebastiano Fumero, Head of Unit for Future Low Emission Industries at the European Research Executive Agency, thanked JSW for hosting such a splendid and well-run event at the Carbonarium. He recalled that when REA was delegated to manage the RFCS research programme in 2021, he had wanted to see more dissemination events. In 2024, he had been pleased that steel-related projects were presented at an event in Venice and coal-related ones in Oviedo. The conference in Jastrzębie-Zdrój exceeded his expectations with high-level participation from all those with an interest in RFCS projects and the topical issues covered. He especially thanked Alicja Krzemień, Brian Ricketts and Andreas Jenet from REA who had together spent the previous months preparing the event, as well as the professional master of ceremonies, Marcin Madzia.
3.- The CRMsDataSpace Project was showcased at the First International Congress on mine closure management and how it differs from environmental liabilities, organised by Minería y Medio Ambiente Estudio Jurídico Ltda. at the Sheraton Hotel in Bogotá (Bogotá, Colombia, 21-23 May 2025).
Download the Agenda of the Congress
4.- The CRMsDataSpace Project was presented at the 100 years of the Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute Conference on Mining the Future: Sustainable Development and Energy Transformation in the European Union (Katowice, Poland, 2-3 June 2025).
