Objective
Rare-earth elements (REEs) are indispensable for the energy transition, digital infrastructure, and strategic technologies, yet their sustainable separation remains a critical bottleneck. Industrial REE refining relies on a small set of legacy organic extractants developed decades ago, which show poor selectivity between chemically similar lanthanoids, require hundreds of extraction stages, generate large waste streams, and demand capital-intensive infrastructure. As a result, many European resources - including recycled permanent magnets, mine tailings, and low-grade ores - remain economically or environmentally inaccessible, reinforcing external dependencies. REEactor addresses this bottleneck by introducing a fundamentally new approach to separation-chemistry innovation.
Building on the ERC Advanced AMADEUS Grant-funded automated platform, REEactor combines multicomponent reaction (MCR) chemistry with miniaturized, high-throughput experimentation and machine-learning-driven optimisation to rapidly generate and evaluate large libraries of novel organic ligands. This enables step-change improvements in selectivity, kinetics, stability, and recyclability beyond conventional trial-and-error ligand development. REEactor will translate this validated discovery platform toward application relevance by identifying and benchmarking lead ligands in micro-scale solvent-extraction systems using realistic REE feedstocks.
Key objectives are to demonstrate reduced process complexity, lower chemical consumption, and compatibility with compact, modular separation concepts, while establishing IP protection and laying the groundwork for spin-off creation and industrial uptake. By de-risking the transition from laboratory chemistry to process performance, REEactor aims to enable competitive, low-waste REE separation technologies and unlock sustainable European mining and recycling pathways aligned with strategic autonomy and Critical Raw Materials objectives.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering mining and mineral processing
- engineering and technology chemical engineering separation technologies
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2026-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
771 47 Olomouc
Czechia
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.