host sponsor
OVERVIEW
After highly successful events in Toronto and New York in 2025, the Innovation Forum comes to London for a half-day event to track the Western world’s push for greater minerals and materials security. Through focused panels and presentations, we’ll explore the forces driving minerals demand across the UK economy, the strategies that governments and industry are deploying to build resilient supply chains, the cutting-edge innovations transforming mining and processing operations, and the creative financing mechanisms required to turn strategic vision into operational reality. From multilateral partnerships and long-term offtake agreements to breakthrough recycling technologies and hybrid capital structures, we’ll identify the pathways through which the UK can reduce its dependence on non-market actors while advancing both its climate commitments and national security interests.
STRUCTURE + audience
- Half-day event followed by a networking reception hosted at Clifford Chance’s offices in London
- 100+ attendees, including leaders from government, industry, and professional services firms
- A program of panel discussions, fireside chats, and presentations on the themes outlined below
THEMES + AGENDA
2:30 PM | REGISTRATION
3 PM - 3:10 pm | OPENING REMARKS
3:10 PM - 3:30 PM | KEYNOTE ADDRESS
3:35 PM - 4:20 PM | Panel DISCUSSION: The Global MINING & METALS ecosystem in 2026
- Demand drivers: How are trends such as a maturing EV market, a renewed interest in nuclear energy, increased defence spending, and the data centre boom shaping the outlook for minerals and materials demand?
- Shifting tailwinds: How has the materials industry moved beyond being price-dependent to being policy-dependent? What are the key challenges and opportunities emerging from this shift?
- Growth strategies: How are global mining companies competing with China for market share? Where are the biggest opportunities for growth, vertical integration, and supply diversification and what are the attendant challenges?
- Regulatory shifts: How is the sector responding to the latest EU regulations on mineral and metal imports, as well as new initiatives and policy mechanisms designed to foster the development of mines in Europe and other regions?
4:25 pm - 5:10 pm | Panel DISCUSSION: The forces reshaping Western supply chains
- A new geopolitical paradigm: How far can governments go to exclude non-market players from Western supply chains? Which government initiatives—including procurement policy, stockpiling, public-private partnerships, and bilateral and multilateral agreements—are showing the most promise in this regard?
- Strategic realignment: How are manufacturers reassessing their exposure to Chinese-controlled refining and processing? How is the business case for mitigating that exposure evolving and what strategies are being successfully deployed to that end?
- R&D: How are new extraction techniques being used to shorten supply chains? Where is progress being made to build circular pathways and what will it take for recycling to become an even bigger part of the picture?
- A future-forward ecosystem: How are government and industry working together to address funding gaps for emerging exploration, extraction, processing & recycling technologies?
5:10 pm - 5:25 pm | INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT
High-impact presentations on technologies and services with game-changing potential in mining and metals.
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm | Fireside chat: Innovation in financing
- Overcoming the capital productivity hurdle: What financing structures and capital solutions are proving most effective for de-risking mining projects and drawing private capital into the space?
- Shifting the conversation: How is “catalytic” government capital (like the UK’s National Wealth Fund) acting as a signal for private equity?
- Leveraging government bodies and partnerships: Where are we seeing effective bilateral and multilateral cooperation and co-financing for mining projects? How are export credit agencies (ECAs) & development finance institutions (DFIs) being effectively leveraged to support mining developments?
- Innovative financing: How can hybrid capital solutions support the buildout of processing and recycling capacity in the West?
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm | Closing Remarks + NETWORKING RECEPTION
host sponsor
SPONSORSHIP
Partner with The Legal Innovation Forum to engage senior legal leaders and innovators shaping the future of the industry.
For inquiries, contact jacquie@adbinsights.com
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