Critical Materials Take Center Stage at BCMaterials' Annual Workshop

On November 19, BCMaterials will host a new edition of its annual workshop, New Materials for a Better Life! This year’s event will focus on critical materials, the challenging environments in which they must operate, and their critical applications across industries.

As in previous years, the workshop will take place in the auditorium of the Martina Casiano Building, at BCMaterials’ headquarters.
Admission is free, but registration is required via the form available at nm4bl.org before November 15.

A Gathering of Experts in Teaching, Research, and Industry

New Materials for a Better Life! will bring together experts from academia, research, and industry across the Basque Country. The program will run from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and will be structured into three thematic sessions:
1. General Framework: Critical Materials, Their Importance, and Related Regulations
2. Availability: From Mining to Recycling
3. Applications: From Aerospace Technology to Energy

The workshop will feature prominent professionals such as Elena Jubete (Business Development Manager for European Programs at Cidetec); Cristina Avilés and Javier Gallo (Department of Mining and Metallurgy, University of the Basque Country – EHU); Amaia Calleja and Haizea González (Center for Advanced Aeronautical Manufacturing – CFAA); Juan Ignacio Burgalete (Satlantis); Maribel Arribas (Tecnalia); Daniel Salazar and Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez (BCMaterials); and María Luisa No (Department of Physics, University of the Basque Country – EHU), among others.

The full program is available here: https://www.nm4bl.org/program/

The opening session will include remarks by Adolfo Morais, Deputy Minister of Science and Innovation; the Director of International Projects and Coordination with Research Centers at the University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; and Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez, Scientific Director of BCMaterials.

Materials, Environments, and Critical Applications

The term “critical materials” has gained growing attention in recent years, given their essential role in key technologies such as electronics (e.g., chip manufacturing), aerospace engineering, and renewable energy systems. These materials are considered “critical” not only because of their strategic importance but also due to challenges in ensuring their supply — arising from scarcity, complex extraction and processing methods, or geopolitical constraints.

Examples include rare earth elements, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and tungsten.

Critical environments refer to the extreme conditions under which materials must maintain high performance and durability — for instance, high temperatures (as in jet engines or turbines), intense radiation (in space or nuclear reactors), strong magnetic or electric fields, corrosive atmospheres, or mechanical stress. Developing materials capable of withstanding such conditions requires a deep understanding of their structure, stability, and atomic- or nanoscale interactions.

Finally, critical applications are those in which failure is not an option, due to implications for safety, performance, or economic impact. These include aerospace components, nuclear and fusion reactors, energy storage and conversion systems, medical implants, and electronics for extreme environments. The continuous development of new materials and advanced processing methods is therefore fundamental to addressing today’s technological challenges in energy, mobility, and sustainability.