Workshop: Are we prepared for the challenge of critical materials?

On 31 October, policymakers, industry leaders and academic institutions gathered at TU Delft | Campus The Hague to jointly reflect on education & knowledge transfer on raw material shortages. The event focused on collaboratively exploring key questions: What are the knowledge needs? What knowledge resources are needed? How can we effectively organize cooperation and implementation?

Policymakers from the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK), Foreign Affairs (BZ), and Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W), along with representatives from the Municipality of The Hague, researchers from The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Leiden University, Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), TNO, The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), the 4TU federation, and TU Delft, as well as industry professionals, identified the primary knowledge needs for policy and business in areas such as the (value) chain, practical technical knowledge, and the policy landscape. For the general public, a focus on raising awareness is also needed: “What will you notice? What can I do?”

The knowledge resources should offer distinct approaches for policymakers, industry, and the general public. Integrated cooperation between government, industry, and academic institutions is essential for this, though it still faces significant challenges.

This initial exploration will be followed by further mapping of existing educational and training initiatives in the region. This will be followed by a more detailed elaboration of knowledge needs and resources, along with a follow-up workshop in early 2025.

‘Network development and strategic cooperation for critical materials’ project

This workshop is part of the project on ‘Network development and strategic educational cooperation for critical materials and the energy transition in the context of The Hague’, subsidised by the municipality of The Hague and implemented by Climate Safety & Security centre of TU Delft. The objective of this project is to identify: knowledge needs on materials in the region and beyond, opportunities for strategic educational cooperation on critical materials in the region and existing relevant knowledge, expertise and educational initiatives in the region. 
For more information on this project, please contact Jan-Henk Welink (project leader) and Jaco Quist (scientific advisor).
Other recent activities around critical materials at TU Delft | Campus The Hague: 
•    Knowledge breakfast critical raw materials organised for Members of Parliament ( 16-10-24)
•    Rethinking Materials Security: Co-creating with Policy Engineering, and Design ( 23-10-24)