VACUUMSCHMELZE GMBH & CO KG

Their core work

VACUUMSCHMELZE (VAC) is a major German manufacturer of advanced magnetic materials, specializing in permanent magnets, soft magnetic alloys, and specialty metals produced through vacuum melting processes. In H2020, they contributed industrial-scale expertise in magnet production and alloy processing to projects tackling Europe's critical dependency on rare earth elements. Their role spans from testing new magnet compositions developed in research labs to validating recycling and substitution routes at semi-industrial scale. Based in Hanau, they are one of Europe's few companies capable of producing high-performance magnetic materials at commercial volumes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

VAC's H2020 involvement shows a consistent and deepening focus on Europe's rare earth and permanent magnet challenge. Their earliest project (REE4EU, 2015) addressed rare earth recycling through high-temperature electrolysis, while NOVAMAG (2016) explored entirely new magnet phases that could eliminate rare earth dependency altogether. Their latest project (SecREEts, 2018) broadened to securing the full rare earth supply chain. The trajectory moves from specific technical solutions toward strategic raw material security — reflecting Europe's growing urgency around critical materials independence.

VAC is moving from purely technical magnet R&D toward strategic supply chain resilience for critical raw materials — a direction that aligns with the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and makes them a strong partner for upcoming calls on resource independence.

How they like to work

VAC operates exclusively as a participant, never leading consortia — consistent with a large industrial company contributing manufacturing know-how rather than driving research agendas. With 37 unique partners across 14 countries in just 3 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia (averaging 12+ partners per project). This suggests they are comfortable in complex multi-partner environments and bring a well-defined industrial contribution without needing to manage the consortium.

VAC has built a broad European network of 37 partners across 14 countries through just 3 projects, indicating participation in large interdisciplinary consortia spanning universities, research institutes, and fellow industrial players in the advanced materials and raw materials domains.

What sets them apart

VAC is one of very few European companies that can take a new magnetic alloy composition from a university lab and validate it against real industrial production requirements. This makes them an essential link in any project that aims to move beyond theoretical materials science into manufacturable products. For consortium builders, VAC provides immediate credibility with reviewers because they represent the end-user industrial reality that EU projects are ultimately meant to serve.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NOVAMAG
  Aimed to design entirely new permanent magnet phases free of critical materials, combining computational prediction (DFT, micromagnetic simulations) with combinatorial synthesis — VAC's largest funded project (EUR 171K).
• SecREEts
  Addressed the strategic challenge of securing Europe's rare earth supply, positioning VAC within the broader critical raw materials policy agenda beyond pure R&D.
• REE4EU
  Pioneered integrated high-temperature electrolysis and ionic liquid extraction for rare earth recycling — a circular economy approach to magnet materials.