On 15th July 2026, CERENA was present on the first day of Encontro Inovação e Ciência 2026 in Lisbon, promoted by AI² - Agência para a Investigação e Inovação.
CERENA presented its proposal for strategic scientific domain entitled ‘Critical Raw Materials towards a European Path to Decarbonization’ as part of the session “Materials and industrial bioeconomy”. A proposal jointly supported by industrial partners and national and European entities.
The key takeaways from CERENA’s coordinator Leonardo Azevedo in this session include:
- The necessity to further invest in the entire value-critical raw materials value chain (from exploration to refining);
- The investment in this scientific area represents an opportunity for Territorial cohesion;
- There is a pool of talent in the Portuguese Scientific ecosystem.
- There should be collaboration among industry, academia, and funding entities to promote more sustainable exploration of critical mineral resources, contributing to Europe's resource independence.
