Start of the RIS-RECOVER Project, funded by the EIT-Regional Institute of Innovation and Technology which is part of the prestigious European fund Horizon 2020.

The main goal of RIS ‐ RECOVER is to develop a plan for extraction of critical raw materials and metals from ore tailings without waste generation and to build the capacity of entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the value chain in Macedonia. It will foster regional eco-innovation and increase its competitiveness, while at the same time strengthening the development of European leadership in sustainable secondary mining.

This project covers the processes of waste elimination and reduction through recycling and use of secondary raw materials in various target sectors (for example, metal industry, electronics industry, construction industry). The main challenge is how to transform metallurgical and mining waste into valuable products.

Taking into account the fact that Macedonia is very rich in mineral raw materials, which are mainly extracted and processed by traditional methods, and valuable secondary raw materials (such as In, Ga, As) are still present in the tailings, was selected as a region for the project. RIS RECOVER.

The project is in a consortium of six European institutions, one of which is the Civil Engineering Institute Macedonia - CEIM. The higher added value of this consortium is the combination of practical experiences from different sectors (for example, metallurgy, construction, chemistry) in developing a new comprehensive eco-innovative approach to metallurgical and mining waste management.

Project partners:

1. Civil Engineering Institute Macedonia, GIM
2. Geological Survey of Slovenia, GeoZS
3. Goce Delcev University Štip , UGD
4. Montanuniversität Leoben
5. Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek NV ‐ (Flemish Institute for
Technological Research NV VITO)
6. Zavod za gradbenistvo Slovenije, ZAG (Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering
Institute)