Critical and strategic raw materials are a key prerequisite for future technologies and industrial competitiveness – particularly in areas such as electromobility, digitalization, energy technology, and defense. At the same time, geopolitical uncertainties, trade conflicts, and concentrations along global supply chains are increasingly making the supply of raw materials a risk and security factor for Germany.

The federal government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz therefore further refined its national raw materials strategy in the summer of 2025: The focus is on expanding strategic partnerships, increasing the use of the Raw Materials Fund (KfW), supporting recycling and the circular economy, and closer cooperation with European initiatives such as the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). The panel provides a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue between business, research, and politics and highlights how resilient, sustainable, and technologically viable raw materials strategies can be developed in concrete terms—also with a view to the role of economic development agencies.

Key topics for discussion
•    Which raw materials are strategically relevant for Germany right now and in the future?
•    How can industries become resilient to global supply chain risks?
•    What role do recycling, substitution, and material efficiency play in terms of security of supply?
•    What contributions can economic development agencies and the public sector make?