The centre that will look at how to create a circular economy for the technology metals such as cobalt, rare earths and lithium and will be called Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre in Technology Metals, the university said in a statement.
It will be led by experts of the Camborne School of Mines, part of the Exeter Uni campus and one of the main centres for minig excellence in the UK.
The centre aims to develop a new cycle, right from the first stages of extraction, to enable secure and environmentally-acceptable circulation of these crucial materials within the UK economy.
It will bring together experts from the Universities of Exeter, Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester and the British Geological Survey, as well as 40 partner companies and organisations.
The research will start with a case study of the industry ecosystem in Cornwall. With its exploration projects for the technology metals, lithium, tin and tungsten, the region has the opportunity to lead in whole systems circular economy actions for these metals.
The Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centres are funded by direct investment from the UK government as part of UK Research and Innovation's Strategic Priorities fund.
In addition to the UKRI government investment, £11.2 million of funding and in-kind support is being provided by external partners, including the Royal College of Art, University College London, Loughborough University, University of Exeter and Brunel University London.
