The seminar ‘Critical Mineral Resources and the Battery Value Chain: Opportunities and Challenges for Portugal’. This event brought together experts, industry representatives and government authorities to discuss strategies and challenges in the battery sector and the minerals needed to produce them, with an emphasis on Portugal’s contribution in this strategic context. The session was opened by the Secretary of State for Energy, Prof Maria João Pereira, followed by the Director of the European Commission’s DG GROW, Dr Joaquim Nunes de Almeida, who highlighted the Eruopean guidelines for the management of critical mineral resources. The event was divided into several panels, where companies, academic institutions and industrial organisations addressed topics such as innovation, sustainability and the integration os new materials. Several universities moderated the event and played a key role in guiding the speakers to share the opportunities and challenges facing Portugal in the battery value chain. This event, which represented the first inter-cluster activity to be organised by Battery Cluster Portugal, reinforced the urgency of policies that encourage extraction, technological innovation and recycling, with a focus on reducing external dependence and stregthening Portugal’s competitiveness in this value chain. We wold like to thank all the entities that accepted our invitation to be represented on the discussion panels, as well as everyone else present, and we hope we can count on your presence at future Cluster initiatives.
