Coppe and Cetem debate how to boost research and development activities on critical minerals and rare earths

Coppe/UFRJ and the Center for Mineral Technology (Cetem) will discuss ways for the National Mining Agency (ANM) to encourage investment in research and development (R&D). The objective is to refine the bill establishing the National Policy on Critical and Strategic Minerals (PNMCE), expanding and providing greater predictability for investments in research and technological development in the sector, particularly regarding critical minerals and rare earth elements.

The aim is to help Brazil advance not only in the production of these resources but also in mastering the technologies needed to extract and process them–a strategic aspect for the country’s sovereignty. This topic will be discussed next Monday, September 21, at the opening of Coppe’s Academic Week, in the institution’s auditorium.

Ideally, mechanisms similar to the model adopted by the ANP should be put in place to stimulate investment in research and development. In oil and gas concession contracts, the R&D clause requires companies to invest 1% of the gross production revenue from fields subject to the Special Participation Fee–a financial compensation applied to high-production or high-profitability fields–in research, development, and innovation projects. The funds are allocated directly to research institutions accredited by the ANP, without passing through the public budget.

This mechanism has helped strengthen Brazil’s capacity to develop technologies for oil exploration and production, including in deepwater and ultra-deepwater environments. This background of success in the oil sector should be taken into account when designing a funding model for research on critical minerals and rare earth elements, ensuring a steady flow of resources for the development of knowledge and technologies in the country.

According to Coppe director professor Suzana Kahn, the ANP’s experience shows that a policy of continuous investment in research can be decisive in transforming the availability of natural resources into national technological capacity. A symbolic example is oil exploration and production in the pre-salt layer, which became a reality thanks to technologies developed largely at Brazilian universities and research centers, such as Coppe, thereby reducing dependence on solutions developed abroad.

“In the oil sector, Brazil realized that simply having reserves wasn’t enough: it was necessary to develop the technology to exploit them. It was this technological capacity that helped the country achieve sovereignty in a strategic area. With critical minerals and rare earth elements, we have a similar opportunity,” affirms Suzana.

The professor advocates for the adoption of a model that ensures the continuous allocation of resources to research and development, preventing investments from being withheld or subject to budget cuts. According to her, withholding resources can lead to delays or even the discontinuation of research, hindering technological advancement, the training of researchers and qualified professionals, and the country’s ability to develop its own solutions for a sector considered strategic.

“If Brazil merely extracts and exports these minerals, it will remain dependent on other countries for the stages of the supply chain with the highest technological value. The challenge is to develop knowledge and technology so that the country is in a position to decide how these resources will be exploited and utilized,” explains Suzana.

The partnership between Coppe and Cetem also takes on an institutional character with the signing, during the event, of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions. The agreement lays the groundwork for scientific, technological, academic, and institutional cooperation between Cetem and Coppe, with the aim of jointly developing studies, research, projects, and innovative solutions related to mineral resources, with an emphasis on critical and strategic minerals and sustainable mining.

In addition to professor Suzana, the event will feature Cetem director Silvia Cristina França and professors Luís Marcelo Tavares, Marcelo Mansur, and Pedro Ribeiro from Coppe’s Metallurgical and Materials Program. The theme is “Coppe and Cetem: critical, strategic, and rare earth minerals for technological sovereignty.”

The event, on September 21, will begin at 11 a.m. at the Coppe auditorium, located in Room 122 of Block G at the UFRJ Technology Center–Avenida Horácio Macedo, 2030, Cidade Universitária.