The Norwegian metal industry, the country's third-largest export sector after fish and oil, is one of Europe's most important suppliers of low-emission metals and critical raw materials. With an annual export value of around NOK 100 billion and contributing to 11% of Norway's land-based CO2 emissions, the sector faces significant challenges and opportunities.
Ambitious goal for the Norwegian metal industry
Over the next eight years, FME ZeMe, through a unique collaboration between industry, research institutions, and academia, will develop knowledge and technology that enable a carbon-neutral and energy-efficient metal industry by 2050.
Innovation for sustainability
The center focuses on developing:
- Climate-neutral and energy-efficient production processes
- Optimized processes for carbon capture, utilization, and storage
- Circular and resource-efficient value chains
- Improved tools for emissions measurement and accounting
- Digitalization and modeling for increased efficiency
- Frameworks for zero-emission metal production
"FME ZeMe is an ambitious initiative for the entire metal industry. Metals play a key role in the green transition, and FME ZeMe will ensure that the Norwegian metal industry remains competitive while achieving climate goals," says Casper Van der Eijk, senior researcher and head of the center at SINTEF Industry.
Education and competence building
NTNU hosts FME ZeMe and will lead the work on education and long-term competence building. The center funds 19 PhD scholarships, including two international ones at Seoul National University in South Korea and Université Laval in Canada. Bachelor’s and master’s projects at NTNU will contribute to developing solutions for a carbon-neutral future. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge transfer to the industry and other stakeholders, the center meets an important expectation from the business sector: to create a competent workforce and facilitate innovation that generates value.
International collaboration for the future
SINTEF leads FME ZeMe with its expertise in industrial research. The collaboration includes NORCE and several international universities, as well as industry partners and other stakeholders, who together will develop future solutions.
"One of our main tasks is to promote collaboration across levels, disciplines, and industries – with a special emphasis on the energy sector," says Van der Eijk.
The path towards a climate-friendly future
With a combination of research, education, and international collaboration, FME ZeMe represents an important step towards ensuring both sustainability and competitiveness in the Norwegian metal industry.
Read more about FME ZeMe and their work for a carbon-neutral future: https://www.ntnu.edu/fmezeme/
