The Federal Agency for Leap Innovations (Sprind) has launched the new Sprind Challenge for critical metals recycling. It is seeking ideas for developing and validating novel processes to recover valuable metals from complex waste streams such as electronic waste or electronic components.
The focus is not solely on recovering individual elements. The goal is also to produce new, functional compounds, alloys, or nanostructured materials with direct industrial applicability. Biological, chemical, and physical-mechanical approaches can be combined to create innovative solutions that go beyond existing recycling methods.
3 phases, up to 6 million euros in funding
The Challenge kicks off in December 2025 and is designed for a three-year period. It is divided into three consecutive stages:
- Stage 1: Up to eight teams each receive a maximum of 1,500,000 euros (plus VAT).
- Stage 2: Following a jury evaluation of the interim results, up to six teams are selected. They can receive funding of up to 2,000,000 euros (plus VAT).
- Stage 3: Up to four teams have access to an additional 2,500,000 euros (plus VAT).
In total, funding can amount to up to six million euros per team.
Applications for the Challenge are open until November 7, 2025. It is aimed particularly at research teams, startups, and companies that work interdisciplinarily and want to pursue new paths in recycling.
For Munich’s startup scene, this call could be particularly interesting: the region has both a growing greentech community and a strong foundation in materials science and high-tech production. With the right idea and a convincing concept, there are good chances of benefiting from the funding.
Further information on the Sprind Challenge is available here.
