START Final Consortium Meeting (La Palma, April 2026)

The START project held its final consortium meeting in La Palma, Canary Islands, hosted by LPRC. After 4 years of intense work the project team is ready to deliver outputs and outcomes that might change the way society views and uses energy, with the development of innovative and sustainable thermoelectric devices. During two days of discussions and decisions on several project activities, the partners prepared the future of START.

The first day of the meeting was dedicated to technical discussions. These focused on the study of the materials and the development of the thermoelectric devices, resulting from tetrahedrite minerals (a waste material from operating mines), the innovative approach of START. Partners discussed the current state of the devices and the following steps needed to ensure further development, including raising the Technology Readiness Level of the technology.

On the second day, partners discussed the communication, dissemination and exploitation measures of the project. LPRC is the partner leading the exploitation efforts and presented its work towards the creation of two new project-related bodies with the aim of ensuring further developments after the project funding period.

On the third and final day, project partners had the chance to visit a unique environment of La Palma: its lava tunnels. A visit was organised with the support of Centro de Interpretación de las Cavidades Volcánicas “Caños de Fuego”.

While the START project is almost over, there is still time to join the team for two last events. On 19th May 2026, in Brussels, the project hosts its Final Workshop with several talks on the project’s journey. On 20th May 2026, also in Brussels, START will have a Side Session during the EIT RawMaterials Summit. Join us!

LPRC thanks the project partners for all the joint work and Centro de Interpretación de las Cavidades Volcánicas “Caños de Fuego” for the visit and location.