Participate in the Critical Raw Materials days, an activity for the general public of all ages!

This initiative is organised by the Universities of Granada, Minho, Padua, Vilnius and Wroclaw, and comprises a series of activities designed to explore the significance of Critical Raw Materials, understand the challenges they bring, and promote more responsible and efficient management of these essential resources.

Critical Raw Materials (CRM) have become a strategic cornerstone for industrial and technological development. Their availability shapes competitiveness, drives innovation, and underpins the transition toward more sustainable energy systems.

The CRM Days, to be held from 9 to 25 March, comprise a set of CRM‑related activities, including online talks in English open to participants from any country, as well as local events held in the languages of the organising universities. All activities are outreach‑oriented and aimed at non-specialised audiences of different ages.

Programme

1. Opening lecture (online, in English): Monday, 9 March | 18:00 CET

Critical Raw Materials: The invisible resources shaping our future, by Concepción Fernández-Leyva (Policy Officer for Matter at the CSIC Office in Brussels)

2. Closing round table (online, in English): Wednesday, 25 March | 18:00 CET

Conversations on Critical Raw Materials: The hidden resources behind modern life

Moderator:

• Teresa Maria Fernandes Valente (Portugal): mineralogist specialising in the environmental impacts of mining. Her expertise provides essential insights into the environmental challenges associated with the extraction of Critical Raw Materials.

Roundtable panellists:

• Rafael Navarro Domínguez (Granada, Spain): geologist at the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain, and an expert in industrial minerals and rocks with extensive experience in the fluorite sector.
• Luis Albardeiro (Aljustrel, Portugal): geologist specializing in mineral resources and critical raw materials, with a focus on resource assessment, sustainable extraction strategies, and the geological factors that influence CRM availability.
• Paolo Nimis (Padua, Italy): geologist specialising in mineralogy, geochemistry, and ore deposits, with extensive research experience on the metallogeny of strategic metals.
• Vaida Kirkliauskaitė (Vilnius, Lithuania): petrologist with broad experience in the CRM potential of the Baltic countries and in the exploration challenges of Phanerozoic‑covered regions.
• Anna Potysz (Wrocław, Poland):  environmental scientist specializing in the recovery of mineral resources from secondary sources, with a focus on biometallurgy.

3. Local activities (in local languages)

GRANADA – 17 or 19 March 10:00 (CET)

Visits to the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology at the University of Granada. Each visit will include a short 10–15 minute talk introducing the concept of critical minerals, delivered in an informal setting, followed by a guided visit to the mineral museum to explore examples of key critical minerals. Dates: 17 or 19 March 10:00 (CET).

Local contacts: Salvador Morales Ruano (smorales@ugr.es) and María Gracia Bagur González (mgbagur@ugr.es)

MINHO – 21 March

An activity for schools and for the senior university will be offered on 21 March, focusing on critical minerals, their importance for our society, and ways to address some of the challenges associated with their exploitation. Further details regarding the time and venue of this activity will be announced shortly.

Local contact: Teresa Maria Fernandes Valente (teresav@dct.uminho.pt)

PADUA – 17 March 16:30 (CET)

A broad‑audience talk at the local Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo, provisionally titled “Critical raw materials, rare earths, strategic minerals… let’s clear things up a bit” / “Materie prime critiche, terre rare, minerali strategici… facciamo un po’ di chiarezza” (talk in Italian). The talk will be given by Paolo Nimis and Gabriella Salviulo. It will introduce and clarify the key concepts, opportunities and problems behind CRMs, and address the positive/negative impacts of mining on human rights. After the presentations, participants will have the opportunity to see and handle several ore samples in the presence of the speakers. Date: 17 March 16:30 (CET).

Local contact: Paolo Nimis (paolo.nimis@unipd.it)

VILNIUS – 10 March 10:00 (CET)

An activity titled “The secret life of rocks and minerals hosting Critical Raw Materials: Powering the modern world” / “Slaptas uolienų ir mineralų gyvenimas: kas maitina modernų pasaulį kritiniais ištekliais.”(activity in Lithuanian) will be held. This outreach activity introduces participants to rocks and minerals that host critical raw materials essential for modern technologies such as smartphones, batteries, and renewable energy systems. Participants will explore and learn to identify hand samples and discover how these materials connect to everyday life. In the second part of the activity, they will observe rocks under a polarizing microscope and learn how scientists study, explore, and evaluate natural resources. The activity highlights why critical raw materials are important for society, the energy transition, and Europe’s resource security. Date: March 10th, 10.00-12.00. Place: Vilnius University, Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, Institute of Geosciences, room 223, Petrology lab.

Local contact: Vaida Kirkliauskaitė (vaida.kirkliauskaite@chgf.vu.lt)

WROCŁAW – from 17 March (exhibition) – 20 March 08:50 CET (lecture)

(a) Online Popular Science Lecture: A lecture titled “Raw materials beneath our feet” (Surowce pod naszymi stopami) (lecture in Polish) will take place on 20 March at 08:50 AM. The lecture will be delivered by Elżbieta Słodczyk.

(b) Exhibition: The exhibition “What are critical raw materials?”/ “Czym są surowce krytyczne?” (exhibition in Polish) will be displayed in the Rectorate Hall of the University of Wrocław starting 17 March. An opening ceremony and guided tour will be held on that day and will be open to the public.

Local contact: Piotr Wojtulek (piotr.wojtulek@uwr.edu.pl)