CLOSER stands for Circular raw materials for European open strategic autonomy on chips and microelectronics production, and is an I3 project that aims to establish a European closed loop for semiconductors, organising the ecosystem for Critical Raw Materials from e-waste, back into sustainable chips and microelectronics. 31 partners from 8 European countries act together in building and scale up a European circular supply chain for semiconductors.
A unique European I3 project
CLOSER is a one-of-a-kind European I3 project that bridges the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Chips Act, with an end-technology readiness level of 7 to 9 (TRL 7-9) out of 9. The project being a cross-regional, joint investment, in a portfolio of 14 pilot investments. Each of these pilots has an individual business model and each of these investments contributes to the holistic scale-up of the EU supply chain for circular chips. This benefits both EU-level and the local level in the participation regions.
CLOSER News
CLOSER Public Newsletter Issue One
Building Europe’s Circular Semiconductor Future
CLOSER Investor Day – Power Pitches Highlights
Companies delivered power pitches that brought the CLOSER vision to life.
Reflections from CLOSER Investor Day - EU CRM, Market & Industry, and Investors perspectives
Valuable exchange on how Europe can scale circular critical raw materials.
CLOSER Project and Holland Circular Hotspot Investor Day in Leuven (Belgium)
IMEC Auditorium - Leuven (Belgium) | 11th until 11th of June 2026
CLOSER and HCH Invest Day in Leuven (Belgium) 11 June 2026
CLOSER: Construction Begins on Europe’s First 6-Inch InP Photonics Pilot Line
High Tech Campus Eindhoven and partners launched a new era
CLOSER: New CMR Report: Circular Design Could Cut Critical Raw Material Use by Up to 80%
New Report on Rewiring Consumer Electronics
CLOSER: Consortium Visits Freiberger Compound Materials to Advance Circular Semiconductor Innovation
From GaAs to AI: CLOSER Explores Europe’s Semiconductor Strength
High-level Dutch-European Roundtables in the CLOSER project
Three EU roundtables tackle circularity in CRMs, solar, and semi-conductors
Project Scope
Four areas are the main focus:
1. Techniques in collection, extraction, purification, revamping, and reclaiming for sustainable e-waste processing.
2. Boosting EU semiconductors production for open strategic autonomy.
3. Promoting circularity in photovoltaics for sustainable energy solutions.
4. Advancing digitisation to support circular value chains and the digital product passport.
The official Kick-off of the project took place on October 17 2024, and the full project will run for 36 months.
Geopolitical Vulnerabilities of Critical Raw Materials and Europe's Path to Strategic Autonomy
CLOSER will showcase how the principles of circularity and urban mining can be applied to convert end-of-life materials and components from regional smart specialisation sectors into valuable secondary resources. Specifically, the project demonstrates the recovery of:
- Secondary semiconductor critical raw materialsfor use in microelectronics manufacturing; and
- Remanufactured componentsfor strategic European industries that are highly dependent on external supply chains, including automotive, aerospace, renewable energy, healthcare, and computing.
The figure below illustrates the key challenges facing Europe’s semiconductor sector and how CLOSER is contributing to the solution.
The CLOSER Consortium
31 partners from eight countries in Europe, including Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, and Greece, are working together to build and scale a resilient European circular supply chain for semiconductors.
The Consortium Composition
The consortium brings together 15 SMEs, 3 clusters, 3 large industrial companies, 7 research and academic institutions, 2 non-profit organisations, and 1 regional authority, combining complementary expertise from across the semiconductor, recycling, digitalisation, research, and circular economy sectors to accelerate innovation and strengthen Europe’s resource resilience.
Our Partners
To learn more about the expertise and contributions of each consortium member, visit the Partner Introduction section HERE.
Contact information
Mrs. Francesca Nanni, scientific project coordinator (TOR Vergata University)
Mr. Freek van Eijk (CEO of Holland Circular Hotspot)
Ms. Vesna Lavtizar (COO of Holland Circular Hotspot)
Follow CLOSER on LinkedIN.
CLOSER is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
