MINERAL PROCESSING AND EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY FOR MINING AND RECYCLINGINNOVATION ASSOCIATION

Their core work

PROMETIA is a Belgian industry association representing companies and research organisations active in mineral processing, extractive metallurgy, mining, and recycling. Their core function is convening sector expertise — bringing together industry actors, researchers, and policymakers around the strategic supply and sustainable sourcing of raw materials critical to European industry. In H2020, they contributed to multi-stakeholder platforms and expert networks rather than conducting laboratory research, acting as a bridge between the technical community and European raw materials policy. Their value lies in sector representation, knowledge aggregation, and facilitating consensus across a fragmented industrial ecosystem.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2015-2017), PROMETIA's focus was narrow and specific: the supply security of refractory metals — a technically defined subset of raw materials used in high-temperature industrial applications. By their second project (2020-2023), the scope had broadened to critical raw materials as a whole, contributing to SCRREEN2, the EU's flagship expert network for the entire CRM agenda. This shift reflects the broader EU policy trajectory — the refractory metals concern of the mid-2010s grew into the comprehensive Critical Raw Materials Act era, and PROMETIA tracked that expansion precisely.

PROMETIA is moving toward broader EU raw materials governance, making them an increasingly relevant partner for any consortium touching battery materials, rare earths, or the EU Critical Raw Materials Act implementation.

How they like to work

PROMETIA has never led an H2020 project, always joining as a participant — a pattern consistent with an industry association that contributes sector representation and stakeholder access rather than technical project management. They have worked in large, multi-partner consortia (42 unique partners across 15 countries across just 2 projects), suggesting they are comfortable operating within complex European networks. For potential partners, this means PROMETIA brings a ready-made network and sector legitimacy, but should not be expected to carry consortium coordination responsibilities.

PROMETIA has connected with 42 distinct consortium partners across 15 countries through just two projects — an unusually broad network relative to their project volume, reflecting their position as a sector-wide association rather than a single-institution actor. Their geographic reach is pan-European, in line with the EU-level raw materials policy focus of both projects.

What sets them apart

PROMETIA occupies a specific and relatively uncontested niche: an association-level voice for the mineral processing and extractive metallurgy industry within the EU raw materials policy arena. Unlike universities or research institutes, they bring industry membership, sector legitimacy, and the ability to mobilise companies across the mining and recycling value chain for consortium participation or stakeholder consultation. For project builders in the critical raw materials space, PROMETIA offers access to an industrial constituency that is otherwise difficult to represent credibly in a Horizon proposal.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SCRREEN2
  Membership in SCRREEN2 — the EU's principal expert network on critical raw materials — signals that PROMETIA is recognised as a legitimate sector voice at the European policy level, not merely a project participant.
• MSP-REFRAM
  This was PROMETIA's first H2020 engagement, and its focus on refractory metals supply — a specialised and strategically sensitive area — established their early positioning in the EU raw materials security agenda.