TMK (Uzbekistan Technological Metals Complex) and KU Leuven formally launched a landmark scientific-industrial partnership during the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Week 2025 in Brussels. The high-level session, organized by the European Commission and dedicated to investment opportunities in Uzbekistan’s critical minerals sector, featured detailed presentations on the country’s mining potential and expanding processing capabilities.
Han Ilhan, Advisor to TMK’s Chairman, outlined new investment opportunities in Uzbekistan’s critical minerals sector, while Deputy Chairman Amir Abidov presented the company’s major ongoing and future industrial projects.
The event’s central outcome was the signing of a cooperation agreement between TMK and KU Leuven’s SOLVOMET R&I Centre — recognized globally as the leading hydrometallurgy research institution. The partnership will enable TMK to integrate advanced hydrometallurgical technologies to expand production of rhenium metal salts and improve extraction of rare and rare-earth elements.
This collaboration marks the beginning of TMK’s systematic adoption of European scientific expertise and aligns with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s national strategy to build a modern science-industry-education ecosystem. TMK’s participation in Raw Materials Week 2025 reinforced Uzbekistan’s position as a stable and reliable long-term partner for European industry.
