On April 9 and 10, 2025, Battery Cluster Portugal was present at the Frankfurt Expert Forum on Rare Earths and Battery Materials, represented by its General-Manager, Fernando Machado. The event, organized by EIT RawMaterials, brought together in Frankfurt a wide range of industrial leaders, government representatives, academic institutions and European associations to address the structural and strategic challenges Europe is facing in securing and developing critical raw materials for batteries and clean technologies.
A forum to accelerate Europe’s strategic autonomy
Throughout the two-day event, several key themes were at the center of discussion:
- Accelerating innovation and scaling up Europe’s industrial capacity across the entire battery value chain;
- Promoting circularity, with a strong focus on battery and magnet recycling;
- Mobilizing investment and removing barriers to financing emerging projects;
- Tackling skills shortages and strengthening links between academia and industry;
- Diversifying supply sources and forging new partnerships to reduce external dependencies – particularly relevant given that 97% of processed graphite currently comes from China.
The forum culminated in the official launch of the Strategic Impact Group Networks (SIGNs) for Battery Materials and Rare Earths & Magnets – new cross-sector collaborative platforms designed to catalyze action, bring decision-makers closer, and accelerate Europe’s response to critical raw materials challenges.
The importance of national representation
Battery Cluster Portugal’s participation in this high-level meeting reflects its ongoing commitment to stregthening Portugal’s voice in European strategic decision-making spaces. It also aims to build bridges between national innovation ecosystems and key international programmes and networks.
The event was also a valuable opportunity to strengthen ties with international stakeholders, identify new cooperation opportunities, and promote the visibility of the work being developed in Portugal in areas such as batteries, recycling, advanced materials, and specialized training.
