CONNECT-EU

CONNECT-EU is an 18-month Coordination and Support Action designed to strengthen interregional cooperation and investment readiness in circular and sustainable aluminium value chains. The consortium brings together technical, industrial, policy, and financial expertise to establish a Joint Innovation Programme (JIP) that enables regions across Europe to co-invest and co-innovate in circular materials innovation. CONNECT-EU addresses the fast-growing secondary aluminium market, which is projected to exceed 22 million tonnes globally by 2030, representing a €60–70billion annual market opportunity. Within the EU, secondary aluminium already accounts for over 40% of total aluminium use (~4.5million tonnes/year) and is forecast to grow by 2–3% annually. Recycling aluminium consumes up to 95% less energy than primary production, potentially avoiding over 80 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually across Europe. CONNECT-EU will deliver five interlinked results: (1) a shared strategic and foresight framework for aluminium circularity, (2) regional blueprints supporting investment planning and governance capacity, (3) validated models for cross-regional co-funding and collaboration, (4) inclusive stakeholder engagement and replication in widening regions, and (5) a sustainability and exploitation roadmap ensuring long-term impact. Through participatory foresight and policy-alignment exercises, the project will engage over 100 quadruple-helix stakeholders across more than seven regional ecosystems, generating a joint strategic roadmap and foresight models informed by previous EU initiatives such as RecAL, TRINEFLEX, MAGNET, and SPICE. These insights will evolve into three to four replicable regional blueprints integrating circularity, SDG metrics, and intangible-capital management. In parallel, governance and co-funding frameworks will provide practical templates for Horizon Europe and Cohesion Policy alignment, ensuring transparent, scalable and compliant joint programming.