START Kick-off meeting, Lisbon, 20-21 June 2022

We are very proud to announce the official beginning of the START project, which took place on June 1st, 2022, with the Kick-off meeting held on June 20 and 21 in LNEG, Lisbon, Portugal. START, which stands for “Sustainable Energy Harvesting Systems Based on Innovative Mine Waste Recycling”, with the concept of transforming mining waste into materials for waste heat recovery, will create a sustainable supply chain and a corresponding business-innovation ecosystem for tellurium-free thermoelectric green energy harvesting products based on secondary raw materials responsibly sourced from within the European Union (EU).

START is an Innovation Action project supported by the EU and its Horizon Europe programme (HORIZON-CL4-2021-RESILIENCE-01-07). The Consortium comprises 15 multidisciplinary institutions with large experience in international innovation projects: LNEG (coordinator), 3drivers, ASGMI, BGR, EPMA, GeniCore, GEO-U, GBA, LPRC, MBN, RGS, SGUDS, SINTEF, TEGnology and IGME-CSIC. The START project have a total duration of 48 months and 9 194 441.25 € of total eligible costs.

The project partners – including LPRC represented by Luís Lopes – discussed the implementation of the seven Work Packages throughout the meeting days. The Work packages are:

1. Coordination and management
2. Selection of mine waste sites; physical minerals separation and concentration
3. Materials modelling and processing
4. Materials characterization
5. Device production, validation and demonstration
6. Dissemination and communication
7. Innovation and exploitation strategy

LPRC is the leader of Work Package 7 and all its four tasks. In this part of the project, LPRC will implement a foresight exercise for the development of a flexible, scalable and adaptable business case design for the START value chain, document industrial viability and economics, develop a business focused roadmap and develop sustainability plans. LPRC also participates in Work Packages 2, 5 and 6.

START started in June 2022 and will end in May 2026 (48-month project duration). There is a long way to go, full of work ahead.

Keep informed by following the project website and social media channels.