About us
(GRIP-ARM Project)
GRIP-ARM is a five-year project (2021-2026) that interrogates the dynamics behind rare earth mining as a tool for economic development. This research examines the globalized supply and demand for Rare Earths – from mining, processing, manufacturing, use and recycling – to have closer scrutiny of mining both as a strategy for industrialization and as an integral part of contemporary efforts toward a sustainable supply of raw materials.
The GRIP-ARM trans-regional research seeks to answer the following questions:
How do mineral-producing states design industrial policies aimed at linking mining with the manufacturing sector in response to growing demand for green industries and consumption of high-tech products across the world?
What are the political economy factors that enable some countries to successfully build linkages between mining and manufacturing to spur technological innovation and to maximize benefits from new demands for clean technology?
How and why do rare earth importing countries and their manufacturing firms, notably EU, Japan, and Korea, respond to mitigate problems of long-term supply vulnerability and sustainable resource use?
COUNTRIES
Demand countries
Supply countries
FAQs
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What are rare earth elements?
Rare earths are 17 chemically similar metals, with special properties of ferromagnetism, superconductivity, and luminescence.
These metals are vital for production of advanced manufacturing and low-carbon technology.
What kind of goods require rare earths?
Most energy efficient and high-tech goods need rare metals to function. These include electric and hybrid cars, solar panels, windmills, and everyday electronics such as phones, laptops, and flatscreen TVs.
Why is this study important?
Industrial catch up in middle and low-income countries generates pressures for increased production of high-tech manufacturing and electronic goods such as computers, flatscreen TVs, hybrid cars, and other products that utilise rare metals. However, since 2010, China’s export restrictions policy has created a major supply constraint on rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical raw materials (CRMs).
Additionally, Europe, North America and East Asia’s efforts to solve the climate emergency through the accelerated production of clean technologies has presented an opportunity for resource producers to develop their manufacturing capacity to take advantage of supply crunch on CRMs.
What does GRIP-ARM want to achieve?
GRIP-ARM examines the globalized supply and demand for rare earths – from mining, processing, manufacturing, use, and recycling – to have a closer scrutiny of mining both as a strategy for industrialization and as an integral part of contemporary efforts towards a sustainable supply of raw materials.
