EURECA-PRO Strategic Challenges
The following 5 Strategic Challenges form part of the EURECA-PRO identity and expertise. Each Strategic Challenge covers a broad research area, thus Lead Universities were identified for all topics according to their expertise and strategic future research plans.
Strategic challenge:
Circular economy and natural resources management for sustainable materials
Strategic challenge:
Just Societal, Multiscale Transition Towards Sustainability and Responsibility
Strategic Challenge:
Energy Transition and Sustainable Energy Management
Strategic Challenge:
Industry 4.0 – Technology, Organization, and Human Perspectives Towards Responsible Industry
Strategic Challenge:
Impacts of Transitions on Global Health
Strategic challenge: Circular economy and natural resources management for sustainable materials
The strategic goal is to contribute to the transformation the mining sector through sustainable practices and circular economy principles.
Key objectives include advancing sustainable mining by optimizing extraction and processing technologies for metals and other resources, improving cost efficiency through enhanced tunnelling methods and mining 4.0 innovations.
Integral to this strategy is the recovery of materials from mining waste to reduce primary resource demand, alongside rigorous exploration and analysis of primary raw materials. A strong emphasis will be placed on limiting environmental impact, incorporating environmental monitoring (e.g., ecotoxicology) and remediation practices.
A sustainable-by design approach will be explored across mining operations to address the composition of soil and rocks via analytical methods, ensuring alignment with quality standards and legal frameworks for raw material certification. Concurrently, this strategic challenge supports a sustainable circular economy by integrating resource economics and design for circularity, promoting the reuse of natural resources (including secondary and tertiary sources such as electronics and construction materials). This approach will prioritize eco-design in the innovative materials, reducing dependency on natural resources and fostering an efficient, circular resource loop.
Strategic Challenge: Just Societal, Multiscale Transition Towards Sustainability and Responsibility
The transition to sustainability requires a comprehensive, inclusive approach across all societal levels, from local to global. Key to this transition are laws, regulations, and policies that ensure the responsible use of natural resources and promote environmental law, and also companies’ governance and management practices. These frameworks must balance flexibility with social and cultural diversity, addressing consumption inequalities and promoting fair trade to ensure benefits for all.
Integrating cultural, historical, and intercultural aspects of sustainable consumption is vital, alongside embracing system thinking and data-driven decision-making to tackle complex societal challenges. This involves rethinking development for sustainability, including inclusive skills transition, fostering decent work conditions, and raising social awareness.
Advanced technologies and sustainable practices, like sustainable architecture and smart cities, will drive the transformation of industries. Responsible marketing, innovation-driven management, and education in sustainable development are also crucial for fostering a greener economy.
Transitioning to circular economy models will reduce waste and enhance resource efficiency, while green finance and financial engineering can help combat energy poverty and support transitions to sustainability. This transition demands collective action from policy, business, and society to embed sustainability and responsibility into all decisions.
Strategic Challenge: Energy Transition and Sustainable Energy Management
The global energy transition is a critical challenge requiring a focus on sustainable energy management to balance environmental, economic, and social priorities. Central to this transition is the efficient use of heat and electricity, ensuring resources are optimized to reduce waste and environmental impact.
Comprehensive energy planning and auditing are essential to identify opportunities for improvement, particularly in enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings. This includes innovations like passive building techniques, bioclimatic design, and zero-energy consumption structures, where architectural design integrates sustainability from the outset.
In industrial processes, minimizing energy consumption is key to reducing emissions and improving sustainability across supply chains. Building energy resilience is equally crucial, ensuring systems can adapt to disruptions while maintaining reliable access to clean energy.
Addressing energy poverty remains a priority, as equitable access to affordable and sustainable energy is fundamental to societal well-being. Implementing smart energy management systems enables the monitoring and optimization of energy use through advanced technologies, fostering efficiency and adaptability. The demand side must also be taken into consideration, regarding to the end user/consumer behaviour in term of sufficiency or adoption of new technologies..
By integrating these approaches, the energy transition can create a sustainable framework that ensures resilience, equity, and efficiency in managing resources for a cleaner future.
Strategic Challenge:
Industry 4.0 – Technology, Organization, and Human Perspectives Towards Responsible Industry
The advent of Industry 4.0 represents a transformative opportunity to create more efficient, sustainable, and responsible industrial systems. Central to this vision is the integration of digital processes such as AI, big data, cyber-physical systems, robots and cobots, and digitalisation, which enable intelligent decision-making, optimization across production and supply chains, and new forms of human/system interactions.
Advanced eco-efficient technologies, including electronics, lase-based technologies, additive manufacturing, photonics, and emerging fields like quantum technology, are driving innovation in production. These technologies support, in particular, enhanced automation and control, predictive maintenance, and sustainable metallurgy, while ensuring integration of sustainability concepts in all production processes. Tools like modelling and simulation, virtual material design, and robotics further refine efficiency and reduce waste.
From a human perspective, Industry 4.0 or 5.0 prioritizes decent work and work organization to ensure equitable and fair conditions, while fostering technological entrepreneurship that aligns with corporate social responsibility (CSR) principles. Responsible marketing and efficient logistics systems are essential to creating value in supply chains while minimizing environmental impact.
Moreover, life-cycle thinking, through Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA), is critical to understanding and mitigating the environmental impacts of industrial processes from inception to disposal. By integrating computer-aided tools and fostering cross-disciplinary innovation, Industry 4.0 or 5.0 lays the foundation for a responsible and sustainable industrial future, including a responsible and efficient skill transition
This challenge requires collaborative efforts from technology developers, organizations, and policymakers to achieve a balance between technological advancement, sustainability, and human well-being.
Strategic Challenge: Impacts of Transitions on Global Health
The rapid transitions in society, technology, and the environment are reshaping global health, presenting opportunities and challenges that demand urgent attention. Central to this challenge is improving quality of life through the promotion of healthy living, accessible healthcare, and sustainable development. However, the impacts of unsustainable development, including climate change and pollution, have serious consequences for human health, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
Environmental monitoring and data science for the environment play critical roles in understanding these impacts, enabling predictive insights and informed decision-making. The intersection of biomedical engineering, the development of silver economy and advanced technologies, such as sensors and healthcare materials, fosters innovation in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. These advancements are essential for addressing the global burden of diseases exacerbated by environmental degradation. Safeguarding natural ecosystems ensures their resilience against climate-induced challenges. Food systems must also evolve to ensure nutrition and safety in the face of shifting climatic patterns.
By addressing the intertwined challenges of health, environment, and development, societies can create sustainable pathways to enhance global health and resilience for future generations. This requires collaborative action across disciplines to mitigate risks and promote equity in health outcomes worldwide.
