As part of the European Union's Critical Raw Materials Week 2025 held in Brussels, the European Commission organized a high-level special session titled “Investment Opportunities for Critical Raw Materials in Uzbekistan.”
During the session, TMK representatives delivered comprehensive presentations on Uzbekistan’s mining sector, processing capabilities, and emerging opportunities in the industry.
Han Ilhan, Advisor to the Chairman of the Management Board of TMK, spoke about investment prospects for critical minerals in Uzbekistan. Amir Abidov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of TMK, presented TMK’s current and future large-scale industrial projects.
The key highlight of the session was the signing of a historic cooperation agreement between TMK and KU Leuven’s Solvomet Group, the world’s leading hydrometallurgy research center. Within this partnership, TMK will implement advanced hydrometallurgical solutions to expand the production of rhenium metal salts and extract additional rare and rare-earth elements (critical minerals).
Through this cooperation, TMK is launching the systematic integration of European scientific expertise into Uzbekistan’s industrial sector.
This partnership also aligns with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s strategic initiative to establish a future-oriented chain linking education, science, and industry.
By participating in Raw Materials Week 2025 and achieving these milestone results, TMK has once again demonstrated that Uzbekistan is a stable, reliable, and long-term partner for European industry.
For reference: KU Leuven is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious universities, founded in 1425. Today it is ranked among the world’s leading scientific institutions. The Solvomet Group laboratory at KU Leuven is recognized as the global No. 1 scientific center in hydrometallurgy and a frontrunner in developing innovative industrial technologies.
