Profile & Expertise

Fundación ICAMCyL, International Center in Advanced Materials and raw materials of Castilla y León, https://www.icamcyl.com/en is a private non-profit foundation, competence centre, created and supported by the Government of Castilla y León, to foster the development of advanced materials for the regional industrial network, and to valorise the richness in raw materials of Castilla y León, in line with its RIS3.

ICAMCyL has been founded thanks to the interest and economical contribution of the main industries of Castilla y León, being shareholders or part of its industrial panel relevant international companies in the sectors of raw materials, critical raw materials and their transformation, glass, engineering and advanced technologies.

The foundation coordinates the endogenous resources, critical materials strategy and Circular Economy strategy in Castilla y León Region (Spain) in close synergy with its Governmental Agency ICE-CyL, and plays a key and catalytical role as experts in the RIS3 Regional Strategy of Castilla y León, being also well-aligned with several of its priority lines and objectives. With the support of the Junta de Castilla y León, ICAMCyL is a competence centre with the aim of aligning itself and working on the region's Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3). One of its main lines of action is sustainable mining, making it the only center in the region dedicated to the restoration of one of the regions with a long history of coal mining, Castilla y León.

ICAMCYL is linked and devoted to the promotion of the regional industrial competitiveness, with an industrial alliance of 20 SMEs and LE that define its own intrinsic pathway into industrial innovation. Moreover, ICAMCYL has promoted and coordinates the Iberian Sustainable Mining Cluster (ISMC) with more than 50 industries (mostly SMEs) from the sector of the extractive industry and associated services. ICAMCYL holds the General Management, executive secretary and Technical Direction of the cluster (https://www.ismc-iberiamine.com/).

ICAMCYL takes part of the international strategy of industrial resource efficiency management, energy efficiency, eco-innovation and critical materials substitution, being directly related to the European Innovation Partnership in Raw Materials (EIP-Raw Materials). In this regard, ICAMCYL takes part of different Action Groups (highlighting 1.8 SUBST-EXTREME, 1.7 RESET and MIREU) within the EIP-Raw materials. Moreover, ICAMCyL contributes to the necessary clustering actions in Europe. From 1st January 2019, ICAMCyL is officially project partner of the EIT KIC Raw Materials.

Role in the project

ICAMCyL will carry out project activities in Castile and Leon, including a) collecting data for WP2 activities to describe the stakeholders & requirements, and the regulatory framework for the implementation of the INNOCAT approach in this region, b) selecting one vehicle and proceeding with its retrofitting using INNOCAT technology (WP3), c) transferring the conclusions of point (b) in policy makers (T4.1) and relevant market stakeholders (T4.2) through workshops and match-making events respectively.

Contribution to knowledge building in the region

In close cooperation with the Government of Castilla y León (DG Energy and Mines), we define and adapt regional integrated roadmaps in synergy with the RIS3 in Castilla y León and mirroring to other EU regions and its smart regional specialization.

ICAMCyL is working intensively in ICT solutions and data management of raw materials and reserves in the territory. We have already created a catalogue of tailings with digital access and we will contribute to the RMIS initiative. ICAMCyL is a key agent in the coal transition strategic roadmap of Castilla y León Region, promoting currently two innovation poles and building a social restructuration plan with León council for the restoration of villages and provinces with a long history and high economic dependence from coal mining.

ICAMCyL, in representation of the regional government of Castilla y León, has been co-founder and co-leads two key European initiatives linked to the Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation (S3P-Industry) which aims to support EU regions committed to generate a pipeline of industrial investment projects following a bottom-up approach - implemented through interregional cooperation, cluster participation and industry involvement. In particular, the thematic area of “Advanced Materials for Batteries” & “Mining Industry”; both highly relevant to offer alternative solutions for a just transition and by extension to coal regions.

In the “Advanced Materials for Batteries”, ICAMCYL is leader for the pilot “Sustainable raw materials extraction and processing”.