IRTC 2025

IRTC25: From Raw Material Policies to Practice

February 19-21, 2025 | Ljubljana, Slovenia

IRTC25 at the forefront  of the international critical raw materials debate.

Explore the program here.

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Interested in Sponsoring?

We are looking for sponsors to support IRTC and our conferences in general, through a coffee break, an award for junior researchers, a session, or other forms of contribution. If you’d like to contribute, please reach out to us at info@irtc.info.

Conference Highlights

Diverse Formats and Sessions

Our program featured engaging keynote speeches, scientific sessions, thought-provoking panel discussions and keynote conversations, a film première, and interactive courses and workshops. With two parallel tracks, attendees were able to customize their experience to focus on specific interests and sectors, including mining, recycling, geopolitics, and technological innovations.

Broad Participation

A global gathering took place with 200 participants, including 30% from outside Europe. Attendees enjoyed meaningful interactions with experts from academia, industry, and policy-making, fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Industry Engagement

An entire day (February 20) centered on topics relevant to industry, featuring best practice examples, company showcases, briefings by industry leaders and the European Commission, and discussions on recent regulatory developments and their impacts. 

Special Focus on Emerging Talents

Opportunities for early-stage researchers to showcase their work through pitches, posters, and flash presentations. 

Interactive Program

Participants took part in hands-on workshops, seminars, and courses, gaining insights into the latest technologies, policy development, and research. They had the opportunity to network at the central location of our conference hotel during coffee breaks, the Apéritif, the Gala Ginner, and at the film avant-première “Not in my country”.

Scientific Sessions

Our scientific sessions were each chaired by teams of three experts with various backgrounds, seniority, and nationality, who selected abstracts for presentation and poster contributions and led the discussions.

Session 1

Risk Awareness: Monitoring and Forecasting

Chaired by Braeton Smith (Argonne NL, USA), Robert Pell (Minviro, UK), Yanan Liang (University of Leiden, Netherlands)

Session 2

Managing Environmental and Social Risks

Chaired by Peng Wang (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), Valeria Superti (ecoinvent Association, Switzerland), and Jessica Buendía Sanchez (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Norway)

Session 3

Risk Mitigation through Mining and Recycling

Chaired by Karen Hanghøj (BGS, UK), David Bengio (Carester, France), and Tabatha Chavez Mathus (ICMM)

Session 4

Shifting Perspectives: Tackling the Demand Side of CRMs

Chaired by Akanksha Tyagi (CEEW India), Rajarshi Sahai (Mobility Fund, Netherlands), and Saurav Roy (University of Cambridge, UK).

Session 5

The Economic Landscape: Regulation, Trade, and Finance in the CRM Sector

Chaired by Roderick Eggert (Colorado School of Mines, USA), Kotaro Shimizu (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan), and Lucas Miailhes (Institut Catholique de Lille, France)

Session 6

Breaking Boundaries: Exploring Novel Frontiers in the CRM Sector and Beyond

Chaired by Anthony Ku (Xiron Global, USA), Min-Ha Lee (Stanford University and KITECH, USA/Korea), and Thibaut Maury (JRC, Italy)

Peter Buchholz

“IRTC is a great global network for sharing research results with the focus on critical raw materials. Topics include the global mineral raw material markets, from exploration towards sustainable mining processing, manufacturing, and modeling future demand and supply. The German Mineral Resources Agency (DERA) at the German Geological Survey (BGR) benefits a lot from this global exchange.”

Peter Buchholz, Deutsche Rohstoffagentur (DERA)

Akanksha Tyagi

“I find the IRTC conference a great platform to network and discuss diverse views on criticality. I have got great feedback on our research at CEEW from peer research organizations and also created collaboration opportunities. The industry representation here is impressive and the discussions have strengthened my understanding of corporate strategies on critical minerals.”

Akanksha Tyagi , Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)

Min-Ha Lee

“IRTC supports saving and sustaining natural resources for humankind.”

Min-Ha Lee, Stanford University and KITECH

David Peck

“IRTC Torino 2024 was for me the ideal coming together of the global best in the CRM field. This helped me to not only advance my skills and knowledge, it also helps me to keep expanding my network. This can lead to enhanced research and innovation collaborations and develop new funded projects, not only with academic and research colleagues but importantly with companies.”

David Peck, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Ryan Ott

“This conference provides a unique opportunity to interact with an international collection of stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities in critical materials, with particular emphasis on the interdependence of policy factors on critical materials usage in manufacturing.”

Ryan Ott, Ames National Laboratory (USDOE)

Edson Krenak

“As an Indigenous advocate, it is crucial for me to share our voices and perspectives on enterprises that have been operating on our lands for centuries. This participation not only underscores the importance of our involvement in these discussions but also highlights the necessity of respecting and integrating Indigenous knowledge and rights in managing and benefiting from these resources.”

Edson Krenak, Vienna University, Cultural Survival/S.I.R.G.E coalition

Why Attend?

Network with Global Experts

Engage with top researchers, policymakers, and industry representatives in the field. 

Stay Informed

Gain insights into the latest methodologies, policies, and technological advancements. 

Collaborate and Innovate

Foster connections for collaboration and innovation. 

Co-shape Policy and Industry Practices

Participate in discussions that bridge the gap between science, policy, industry, and civil society.