Looking at the map of Hungary, Miskolc — Szeged — Pécs — Sopron can draw a “ring” that surrounds the country. All four towns are the centre of their region and all four cities have a reputation beyond the country. It is obvious that the institutions in the ring should work together (‘federal’) to set up a thematic network of researchers in the field of sustainable management of raw materials. The research cooperation is focused on the development of environmental and energy applications in specific areas of raw materials management, mainly through the recovery of secondary raw materials (waste and residues). The strategic and specific operational objectives of the project are to be achieved by the partners in the framework of the following three main activities (pillars) in cooperation with the network: I. Creation of intertwined research cells between institutions defined in focus areas, II. Networking Team, 3 rd Thematic International Project Week (IPW) events. Although the partner institutions have separate sub-competences, infrastructure and resources in the focus areas of the application, the market forces the institutions to compete that makes resource sharing more difficult or hinders. Conversely, making the institutions jointly interested in cooperation, both scientifically and economically, is fruitful for partners and the country as a whole, because shared competences, resources and infrastructure can lead to more effective R & D & I activities. At the head of the narrow-focused thematic research groups (cells), the head of the research team is delegated by the institution with the most significant results in the given field, while each participating institution delegates researchers, young researchers and students, as well as a research infrastructure, to the work of the research group. This creates knowledge sharing in a thematic network between institutions, the research group publishes its results jointly, participates in conferences or organises conferences, or seeks the possibility of company research collaborations and project research collaborations at national or international level. Narrowed themes of research cells: 1. recovery of waste water and sewage sludges, low CO2 emission technologies, (2) municipal solid waste (MSW) as a secondary source of raw materials, 3. recovery of lignocelluloses, 4. WEEE — extracting valuable materials from waste from electronic and electrical equipment, 5. innovative recovery of large industrial and mining wastes and by-products. Under the interlinked research cells pillar I, through an open call for proposals, the partners promote scholarship programmes. Thematic cells independently seek domestic and international industrial R & D & I activities, which, depending on the nature of the task, are solved in institutional cooperation and at cell level. Thematic cells independently seek R & D & I activities based on domestic and international tender sources. From the perspective of the development of the R & D & I potential, it is of utmost importance that the participating partner institutions share and develop their relationship systems together. To that end, the un. II. A Networking Team pillar will be established, in which experts from participating institutions are involved in project writing, networking and international application implementation. The Networking Team also aims to create a management team that responds flexibly with its resources to support successful research cell applications across institutions. The Networking Team’s task is to develop the professional organisation framework for joint collaborations, to share experience and best practice, and to organise research and application trainings. Pillar III is the organisation of thematic International Project Week (IPW) events. The involvement of visiting teachers and researchers from the EU/EEA Member States and the Carpathian Basin required for successful implementation, who have significant experience in one theme area and have a significant network of cooperation and networking. To channel their skills and opportunities, we announce a mobility program, which includes one to one week of visiting lecture courses each year in the framework of research and application skills development and professional training courses on fundamental research topics. During the 3 years of the project, each IPW is organised by a different partner institution, which is organised around the focus area managed by the organising institution. One day of the event will function as a professional international conference in the focus area.