Green Economies Centre wins £4.5m funding to support critical minerals research

A new Green Economies Centre has secured £4.5m funding to lead on the sustainable extraction of tin, tungsten, lithium and other critical minerals, and support the UK’s transition to a green economy.

The Critical Minerals Accelerating in the Green Economy Centre is an initiative led by the University of Exeter and supported by a large number of industry partners.

Prof Frances Wall, from the Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter and lead investigator for the Centre, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to focus on helping our industry colleagues accelerate all the businesses in the region related to critical minerals.

“We are collaborating with local government and community organisations, aiming to be an exemplar of sustainable regional development from use of our natural resources, and have global reach with our solutions.”

The Centre will address technical challenges associated with emerging mineral deposits, foster partnerships with local communities, and promote sustainable investment to fund the green economy.

Dr Kate Hamer, associate director at UKRI, which has provided the funding, said: “Transitioning to a sustainable green economy is a win-win for all, it creates new jobs, new partnerships and new industries.

“Through investment in collaboration between researchers and innovators, we harness our collective effort across the public and private sector, driving innovation to secure the future of our environment and deliver economic growth.”

Cornwall Resources will co-lead one of the projects, with a focus on using its Duchy of Cornwall licence area as a physical laboratory for new ideas and the development of extraction frameworks.

Peter Wale, director at Cornwall Resources, added: “This funding is a further acknowledgement of the southwest’s position at the forefront of the UK’s domestic critical minerals industry.”