EFG Projects

Current projects

CEEGS: Novel CO2-based electrothermal energy and geological storage system

PROJECT NUMBER: 101084376

START DATE: 01.11.2022

DURATION: 36 MONTHS

ceegsproject.eu

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CEEGS is a Horizon Europe funded project, that will develop a cross-sectoral technology for the energy transition, combining a renewable energy storage system based on the transcritical CO2 cycle, CO2 storage in geological formations and geothermal heat extraction.

The main objective of the project is to provide scientific proof of the techno-economic feasibility of the technology, raising the current low TRL 2 to TRL 4 by addressing gaps in the interface between surface transcritical cycle and the subsurface CO2 storage.

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The Horizon Europe-funded CRM-geothermal project is developing an innovative technology solution which combines the extraction of critical raw materials and energy from geothermal fluids.

The energy and digital transitions require a large amount of mineral raw materials, some of which are considered ‘critical’ by the European Union. These Critical Raw Materials (CRM) are predominantly imported from non-European countries where environmental and ethical standards may be less strict than in the EU. However, the EU has largely untapped resources at its disposal in geothermal fluids, some of which contain significant amounts of CRMs.

CRM-geothermal project therefore proposes to combine the extraction of mineral raw materials and geothermal heat, a renewable energy resource from the ground that is available 24 hours per day. The technology solution developed by CRM-geothermal will thus help Europe fulfil the strategic objectives of the EU Green Deal and the Agenda for Sustainable Development while reducing dependency on imported CRM.

TRiPGiFT: Developing Virtual Field Trips (VFT)

START DATE: 01.06.2022

DURATION: 36 MONTHS

tripgift.cs.ucy.ac.cy

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TRiPGiFT is an Erasmus+ project which aims to combine theoretical and experimental approaches in teaching geology and geography in Secondary Education by developing Virtual Field Trips (VFTSs), using Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). VFTSs are an interactive and engaging approach, providing the basis for a range of educational activities. They can play an important role in the educational process and, in combination with existing educational material from different sources, they can contribute to a high-level and innovative teaching and learning process.

TRiPGiFt aims to trigger the students’ interest in natural processes and to improve their understanding of specific geoscience phenomena by stimulating imagination and developing the so-called STEAM based competencies. In this process, teachers will have a guiding role and students taking an active role in decoding scientific knowledge in alignment with the practices of scientists and engineers.

TIMREX: Master in Innovative Mineral Resource Exploration

PROJECT NUMBER: 21064
START DATE: 01.01.2022
DURATION: 36 MONTHS

timrexproject.eu

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The TIMREX EIT-labelled MSc programme aims to train earth science specialists, primarily geologists and geologist engineers, to help meet the mineral resource exploration demand of the EU. The geographical location of the four partnering universities helps to improve the mineral exploration workforce supply for the EU, including geographically two of the major EU’s mining and exploration hubs, Scandinavia and the ESEE region. The TIMREX programme will train T-shaped earth science specialists having a strong background in classical disciplines of geology and geophysics complemented with modern 3D modelling as well as data processing and interpretation skills, while the boundary-crossing competencies will cover skills in innovative mineral exploration techniques and technologies used in the field, in laboratories, in an underground and underwater environment.

Students will also be trained in sustainability, social responsibility and social licence to operate. All modules of the programme are taught in English. T-shaped mineral explorers will use Industry 4.0- derived tools and methods for mineral resource exploration, mentored by experts, which is a good precondition to become a competent person under CRIRSCO based on entrepreneurial competencies.

Past projects

ROBOMINERS – Resilient Bio-inspired Modular Robotic Miners

PROJECT NUMBER: 820971
START DATE: 01.06.2019
DURATION: 48 MONTHS

robominers.eu

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tROBOMINERS will develop a bio-inspired, modular and reconfigurable robot-miner for small and difficult to access deposits. The aim is to create a prototype robot that is capable of mining underground, underwater or above water, and can be delivered in modules to the deposit via a large diameter borehole. In the envisioned ROBOMINERS technology line, mining will take place underground, underwater in a flooded environment. A large diameter borehole is drilled from the surface to the mineral deposit. A modular mining machine is delivered in modules via the borehole. This will then self-assemble and begin its operation. Powered by a water hydraulic drivetrain and artificial muscles, the robot will have high power density and environmentally safe operation. Situational awareness and sensing is provided by novel body sensors, including artificial whiskers that will merge data in real-time with production sensors, optimising the rate of production and selection between different production methods. The produced high-grade mineral slurry is pumped to the surface, where it will be processed. The waste slurry could then be returned to the mine where it will backfill mined-out areas. ROBOMINERS will deliver proof of concept (TRL-4) of the feasibility of this technology line that can enable the EU have access to mineral raw materials from otherwise inaccessible or uneconomic domestic sources. This proof of concept will be delivered in the format of a new amphibious robot Miner Prototype that will be designed and constructed as a result of merging technologies from advanced robotics, mechatronics and mining engineering. Laboratory experiments will confirm the Miner’s key functions, such as modularity, configurability, selective mining ability and resilience under a range of operating scenarios. The Prototype Miner will then be used to study and advance future research challenges concerning scalability, swarming behaviour and operation in harsh environments.

 

EFG Linked Third Parties in ROBOMINERS project

 

  • Belgo-Luxembourg Union of Geologists (Belgium-Luxembourg)
  • Bulgarian Geological Society (Bulgaria)
  • Croatian Geological Society (Croatia)
  • Republic Czech Association of Economic Geologists Country (Czech Republic)
  • Professional Association of German Geoscientists (Germany)
  • Association of Greek Geologists (Greece)
  • Hungarian Geological Society (Hungary)
  • Italian National Council of Geologists (Italy)
  • Polish Association of Minerals Asset Valuators (Poland)
  • Portuguese Association of Geologists Country (Portugal)
  • National Association of Professionals in Geology and Mining (Romania)
  • Serbian Geological Society (Serbia)
  • Slovenian Geological Society (Slovenia)
  • Official Spanish Association of Professional Geologists (Spain)
  • Maden Jeologlari Dernegi (Turkey)

More information: https://robominers.eu

 

SUMEX: Sustainable Management in the Extractive Industries

PROJECT NUMBER: 101003622
START DATE: 01.11.2020
DURATION: 36 MONTHS

sumexproject.eu

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In order to foster more, but sustainable mineral production in the EU, SUMEX (SUstainable Management in EXtractive industries) will establish a sustainability framework for the extractive industry in Europe. It does so by considering the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal, as well as EU Social License to Operate considerations and will involve stakeholders from industry, government, academia and civil society backgrounds from all across the EU. This framework is then applied across the extractive value chain to analyse the mineral, as well as relevant economic, environmental and social policy frameworks of the EU, member states and selected regions along five focus areas – socio-economic and environmental impact assessments, land use planning, health and safety, reporting official statistics and permitting processes/policy integration-to find, or build, where needed, good practices or tools for an open access toolkit, which will be embedded in a broader Community of Practise (CoP) and which forms the basis for capacity building. This CoP will consider relevant stakeholder groups, with a focus on permitting authorities, across the EU, providing a digital platform and using a series of workshops and webinars.

EFG Linked Third Parties in SUMEX: 

  • Professional Association of German Geoscientists (Germany)
  • Geological Society of Estonia (Estonia)
  • Union of Professionals in Natural, Environmental and Forestry Sciences (Finland)
  • Official Spanish Association of Professional Geologists (Spain)
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The efficiency of geothermal utilisation depends heavily upon the behaviour of the fluids that transfer heat between the geosphere and the engineered components of a power plant. Chemical or physical processes such as precipitation, corrosion, or degassing occur as pressure and temperature change with serious consequences for power plant operations and project economics. Currently, there are no standard solutions for operators to deal with these challenges. The aim of REFLECT is to avoid the problems related to fluid chemistry rather than treat them. This requires accurate predictions and thus a thorough knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of the fluids throughout the geothermal loop. These properties are often only poorly defined, as in situ sampling as well as measurements at extreme conditions are hardly possible to date. As a consequence, large uncertainties in current model predictions prevail, which will be tackled in REFLECT by collecting new, high quality data in critical areas. The proposed approach includes advanced fluid sampling techniques, the measurement of fluid properties at in-situ conditions, and the exact determination of key parameters controlling precipitation and corrosion processes. The sampled fluids and measured fluid properties cover a large range of salinity and temperature, including those from enhanced and super-hot geothermal systems. The data obtained will be implemented in a European geothermal fluid atlas and in predictive models that both ultimately allow to adjust operational conditions and power plant layout to prevent unwanted reactions before they occur. That way, recommendations can be derived on how to best operate geothermal systems for sustainable and reliable electricity generation, advancing from an experience-based to a knowledge-based approach.

The project is going to start in January, 2020, and will last for 36 months.

EFG Linked Third Parties involved in REFLECT:

  • Belgo-Luxembourg Union of Geologists (Belgium, Luxemburg)
  • Bulgarian Geological Society (Bulgaria)
  • Croatian Geological Society (Croatia)
  • Czech Association of Economic Geologists (Czech Republic)
  • Association of Greek Geologists (Greece)
  • Hungarian Geological Society (Hungary)
  • Italian National Council of Geologists (Italy)
  • Polish Association of Minerals Asset Valuators (Poland)
  • Portuguese Association of Geologists (Portugal)
  • National Association of Professionals in Geology and Mining (Romania)
  • Slovenian Geological Society (Slovenia)
  • Official Spanish Association of Professional Geologists (Spain)
  • Turkish Association of Economic (Turkey)
  • Geologists Ukrainian Association of Geologists (Ukraine)
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CROWDTHERMAL aims to empower the European public to directly participate in the development of geothermal projects with the help of alternative financing schemes (crowdfunding) and social engagement tools. In order to reach this goal, the project will first increase the transparency of geothermal projects and technologies by creating one to one links between geothermal actors and the public so that a Social Licence to Operate (SLO) could be obtained. This will be done by assessing the nature of public concerns for the different types of geothermal technologies, considering deep and shallow geothermal installations separately, as well as various hybrid and emerging technology solutions. CROWDTHERMAL will create a social acceptance model for geothermal energy that will be used as baseline in subsequent actions for inspiring public support for geothermal energy. Parallel and synergetic with this, the project will work out details of alternative financing and risk mitigation options covering the different types of geothermal resources and various socio-geographical settings. The models will be developed and validated with the help of three Case Studies in Iceland, Hungary and Spain and with the help of a Trans-European survey conducted by EFG Third Parties. Based on these feedbacks, a developers’ toolbox will be created with the aim of promoting new geothermal projects in Europe supported by new forms of financing and investment risk mitigation schemes that will be designed to work hand in hand with current engineering and microeconomic best practices and conventional financial instruments.

EFG Linked Third Parties in CROWDTHERMAL project

  • Belgo-Luxembourg Union of Geologists (Belgium-Luxembourg)
  • Bulgarian Geological Society (Bulgaria)
  • Croatian Geological Society (Croatia)
  • Czech Union of Geological Associations (Czech Republic)
  • Professional Association of German Geoscientists (Germany)
  • Association of Greek Geologists (Greece)
  • Hungarian Geological Society (Hungary)
  • Italian National Council of Geologists (Italy)
  • Polish Association of Minerals Asset Valuators (Poland)
  • Association of Portuguese Geologists (Portugal)
  • Serbian Geological Society (Serbia)
  • Slovenian Geological Society (Slovenia)
  • Official Spanish Association of Professional Geologists (Spain)
  • Turkish Association of Economic Geologists (Turkey)
  • National Association of Professionals in Geology and Mining (Romania)
  • Ukrainian Association of Geologists (Ukraine)

ENGIE: Encouraging Girls to Study Geosciences and Engineering

PROJECT NUMBER:
START DATE: January 2020
DURATION: 36 months

www.engieproject.eu

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The project ‘ENGIE – Encouraging Girls to Study Geosciences and Engineering’ aims to turn the interest of 13-18 years old girls to study geosciences and related engineering disciplines. As career decisions are made generally in this period of life, the project expectedly will improve the gender balance in the fields of these disciplines. During the implementation of the three-year-long project, an awareness-raising strategy will be developed and an international stakeholder collaboration network will be established for the realisation of a set of concrete actions. These actions include family science events, outdoor programmes, school science clubs, mine visits, mentoring programmes, international student conferences, publication and awarding opportunities, summer courses to science teachers and production of educational materials. The actions will be carried out in more than twenty countries throughout Europe.

The project is going to start in January, 2020, and will last for 36 months.

EFG Linked Third Parties involved in ENGIE

  • Bulgarian Geological Society (Bulgaria)
  • Croatian Geological Society (Croatia)
  • Czech Association of Economic Geologists (Czech Republic)
  • Estonian Geological Society (Estonia)
  • The Finnish Union of Environmental Professionals (Finland)
  • French Geological Society (France)
  • Professional Association of German Geoscientists (Germany)
  • Association of Greek Geologists (Greece)
  • Hungarian Geological Society (Hungary)
  • Italian National Council of Geologists (Italy)
  • Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands (The Netherlands)
  • Polish Association of Minerals Asset Valuators (Poland)
  • Portuguese Association of Geologists (Portugal)
  • National Association of Professionals in Geology and Mining (Romania)
  • Serbian Geological Society (Serbia)
  • Slovenian Geological Society (Slovenia)
  • Official Spanish Association of Professional (Spain)
  • Geologists Turkish Association of Economic Geologists (Turkey)
  • Geological Society of London (United Kingdom)
  • Ukrainian Association of Geologists (Ukraine)

ProSkill: Development of a Skill Ecosystem in the Visegrád Four countries

PROJECT NUMBER:
START DATE: January 2020
DURATION: 36 months

www.proskillproject.eu

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The European Union puts an emphasis on raising productivity as an important factor in maintaining economic growth. In order to improve productivity, it is vital to offer products and services with a high added value, and for that purpose highly qualified employees are required. Companies and professional organisations in the RM industries have stressed the need to improve the soft skills of students in order to meet the requirements of the labour market. The engineers of the future have to accept that engineering problems – as well as their solutions – are embedded in complex social, cultural, political, environmental, and economic contexts. Engineers have to access, understand, evaluate, synthesise, and apply information and knowledge from engineering as well from as other fields of study. They have to find and achieve a synergy between technical and social systems. ProSkill has a double purpose. From the one side it adopts a ‘skill ecosystem’ concept, looking at what (hard and soft) skills are missing in raw materials sector, which areas are affected by skill problems (shortages, mismatches and gaps) and what strategies can work. A high-skill ecosystem strategy supplemented with an action plan is developed. To ensure sustainability, the project focuses on the lecturers (‘train the trainer’). The main goal is to develop their knowledge about new and innovative educational techniques and to reshape the outdated curricula. On the other side, a pilot project is launched involving the colleges for advanced studies in partner HEIs. Short-term and longterm programmes help to implement the strategy with the targeted development of selected soft skills.

INTERMIN

PROJECT NUMBER: 776642 
START DATE: 01.02.2018
DURATION: 36 MONTHS

interminproject.org

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INTERMIN will create a feasible, long-lasting international network of technical and vocational training centres for mineral raw materials’ professionals. Specific objectives:

  • Develop common metrics and reference points for quality assurance and recognition of training;
  • Develop a comprehensive competency model for employment across the primary and secondary raw materials sector;
  • Introduce an international qualification framework for technical and vocational training programmes;
  • Create a conceptual framework for the development of joint educational training programmes based present and future requirements by employers;
  • Create and launch a joint international training programme by a merger of competences and scope existing training programmes;

More information: http://interminproject.org/

Innovative, Non-invasive and Fully Acceptable Exploration Technologies (INFACT)

PROJECT NUMBER: 776487
START DATE: 01.11.2017
DURATION: 39 MONTHS

infactproject.eu

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Exploration discovery of raw material resources requires innovations that either change the geological targets of exploration, the physical places that are reached, or the manner in which they are explored. Despite its rich history of mining and residual mineral wealth, current conditions within the EU present a number of social, political, legislative, cost, technical and physical obstacles to raw material exploration: obstacles to be overcome by innovation, dialogue and reform.

The Innovative, Non-invasive and Fully Acceptable Exploration Technologies (INFACT) project unites stakeholders of Europe’s future raw materials security in its consortium and activities. Via effective engagement of civil society, state, research and industry, the project will focus on each of these obstacles. It will co-develop improved systems and innovative technologies that are more acceptable to society and invigorate and equip the exploration industry, unlocking unrealised potential in new and mature areas.

The project will develop innovative geophysical and remote sensing technologies (less-invasive than classical exploration methods) that promise to penetrate new depths, reach new sensitivities and resolve new parameters.

The project will also set the EU as a leader on the world stage by establishing permanent infrastructure to drive innovation in the next generation of exploration tools: tools that are cost-effective, designed for EU conditions and its raw materials strategy, and high-performing in terms of environmental impact, social acceptability, and technical performance.

INFACT is comprised of the following main components:

Development and test of innovative, non-invasive exploration technologies.
Foundation of 3 test sites for exploration technology in the south, centre and north of Europe.
Stakeholder engagement, education and policy reform.
These actions combine to reach each of the main areas in which the EU has the power to influence change in its raw materials security.

EFG leads the work package on dissemination and impact creation and several of the Federation’s National Associations will be actively involved in the project as Linked Third Parties.

More information: https://www.infactproject.eu/

UNEXMIN: Autonomous Underwater Explorer for Flooded Mines

PROJECT NUMBER: 690008
START DATE: 01.02.2016
DURATION: 45 MONTHS

www.unexmin.eu

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This new H2020 project will develop a novel robotic system for the autonomous exploration and mapping of Europe’s flooded underground mines. The Robotic Explorer (UX-1) will use non-invasive methods for autonomous 3D mine mapping for gathering valuable geological and mineralogical information. This will open new exploration scenarios so that strategic decisions on the re-opening of Europe’s abandoned mines could be supported by actualised data that can not be obtained by any other ways. The Multi-robot Platform will represent a new technology line that is made possible by recent developments in autonomy research that allows the development of a completely new class of mine explorer service robots, capable of operating without remote control. Such robots do not exist nowadays; UX-1 will be the first of its kind. Research challenges are related to miniaturisation and adaptation of deep sea robotic technology to this new application environment and to the interpretation of geoscientific data.
Work will start with component validation and simulations to understand the behaviour of technology components and instruments to the application environment. This will then be followed by the construction of the first Prototype. Post processing and data analysis tools will be developed in parallel, and pre-operational trials are launched in real life conditions. In the final stage of the project extensive pilots will take place during which UX-1 will be iteratively improved after each trial session, which will be increasingly demanding. The final, most ambitious demonstration will take place in the UK with the resurveying of the entire Ecton mine (UK) that nobody has seen for over 150 years. This final pilot will demonstrate the Platform’s scalability from small missions to the largest ones by increasing the number of deployed autonomous drones, and supporting multi-robot cooperation in confined 3D spaces with real-time sensor and data fusion for reliable navigation and communications.
Some of EFG’s national associations participate in this project as linked third parties and support the consortium through data collection for the Inventory of flooded mines. EFG leads the Work Package on dissemination, the EFG Third Parties will disseminate the results of the UNEXMIN project at national level in web portals, newsletters, conferences, workshops, educational activities, exhibitions or any other relevant means. More information: 
http://www.unexmin.eu

EFG Linked Thrid Parties
  • Belgo-Luxembourg Union of Geologists (Belgium-Luxembourg)
  • Czech Association of Economic Geologists (Czech Republic)
  • The Finnish Union of Environmental Professionals (Finland)
  • Association of Greek Geologists (Greece)
  • Hungarian Geological Society (Hungary)
  • Institute of Geologists of Ireland (Ireland)
  • Italian National Council of Geologists (Italy)
  • Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands (The Netherlands)
  • Polish Association of Minerals Asset Valuators (Poland)
  • Portuguese Association of Geologists (Portugal)
  • Slovenian Geological Society (Slovenia)
  • Serbian Geological Society (Serbia)
  • Official Spanish Association of Professional Geologists (Spain)
  • Ukrainian Association of Geologists (Ukraine)
  • Geological Society of London Country (UK)
  • Instiut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique (Belgium)

CHPM2030: Combined Heat, Power and Metal extraction from ultra-deep ore bodies

PROJECT NUMBER: 654100
START DATE: 01.01.2016
DURATION: 42 MONTHS

chpm2030.eu

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The CHPM2030 project (project number: 654100) aims to develop a novel, pilot level technology which combines geothermal resource development, minerals extraction and electro-metallurgy in a single interlinked process. In order to improve the economics of geothermal energy production the project will investigate possible technologies of manipulating metal-bearing geological formations with high geothermal potential at a depth of 3-4 km in a way that the co-production of energy and metals will be possible and may be optimised according to the market demands in the future. Led by the University of Miskolc, the project will be implemented in the cooperation of 12 partners from 10 European countries. EFG supports the activities for the CHPM2030 methodology framework definition (WP1), particularly the European data integration and evaluation: EFG’s Linked Third Parties (LTP) will collect publicly available data at national level on deep drilling programmes, geophysical and geochemical explorations and any kind of geo-scientific data related to the potential deep metal enrichments. They will also collect data on the national geothermal potential. Guidelines/templates for data collection will be provided by EFG. During the second year, EFG will support the road mapping and preparation for Pilots (WP6), European Outlook. EFG’s Linked Third Parties will assess the geological data on suitable ore-bearing formations and geothermal projects, which were collected in WP1, in relation with the potential application of the CHPM technology. This work will combine these data with the outcomes of the most recent predictive metallogenic models. Only existing datasets will be utilised, no new surveys will be carried out. EFG also leads the Work Package on dissemination.
EFG Linked Thrid Parties
  • Belgo-Luxembourg Union of Geologists (Belgium-Luxembourg)
  • Czech Association of Economic Geologists (Czech Republic)
  • The Finnish Union of Environmental Professionals (Finland)
  • Association of Greek Geologists (Greece)
  • Hungarian Geological Society (Hungary)
  • Institute of Geologists of Ireland (Ireland)
  • Italian National Council of Geologists (Italy)
  • Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands (The Netherlands)
  • Polish Association of Minerals Asset Valuators (Poland)
  • Portuguese Association of Geologists (Portugal)
  • Slovenian Geological Society (Slovenia)
  • Serbian Geological Society (Serbia)
  • Official Spanish Association of Professional Geologists (Spain)
  • Ukrainian Association of Geologists (Ukraine)
  • Geological Society of London Country (UK)
  • Instiut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique (Belgium)

MinLand

PROJECT NUMBER: 776679
START DATE: 01.12.2017
DURATION: 24 MONTHS

minland.eu

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Access to mineral resources in Europe is one of the pillars of the Raw Materials Initiative (RMI). Yet, competing societal interests, such as expanding cities, infrastructure development, agriculture and nature conservation, have had negative effect on the available area for exploration and mining of mineral resources. Consequently, the supply of mineral raw materials within the EU is at risk. Therefore, the integration of mineral resources policies into land-use planning at different scales and levels is a key factor for achieving the goals of the RMI.

The MinLand project is designed for addressing this challenge: to facilitate minerals and land-use policy making and to strengthen a transparent land use practice. MinLand is composed around the acknowledgement that the call requires a broad and competent consortium with strong links to related projects and activities, a comprehensive and structured data repository, an efficient work flow and strong and broad stakeholder involvement.

EFG supports the activities for valorisation and valuation of geological and societal data and civil society impacts. And it will also be involved in the network and clustering activities and in the communication, dissemination and exploitation of the project.

More information: http://minland.eu/

INTRAW: International cooperation on Raw Materials

PROJECT NUMBER: 642130
START DATE: 01.02.2015
DURATION: 36 MONTHS

intraw.eu

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Access to mineral resources in Europe is one of the pillars of the Raw Materials Initiative (RMI). Yet, competing societal interests, such as expanding cities, infrastructure development, agriculture and nature conservation, have had negative effect on the available area for exploration and mining of mineral resources. Consequently, the supply of mineral raw materials within the EU is at risk. Therefore, the integration of mineral resources policies into land-use planning at different scales and levels is a key factor for achieving the goals of the RMI.

INTRAW has mapped and developed new cooperation opportunities related to raw materials in Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and the United States, addressing:

  • Research and innovation;
  • Raw materials policies and strategies
  • Joint educational and skills programmes;
  • Licensing and permitting procedures;
  • Data reporting systems;
  • Exploration, extraction, processing and recycling practices;
  • Management and substitution of Critical Raw Materials.

The outcome of the mapping and knowledge transfer activities is being used as a baseline to set and launch the European Union’s International Observatory for Raw Materials as a definitive raw materials intelligence infrastructure, operating internationally.

The International Raw Materials Observatory is a not for profit independent, honest broker, providing authoritative specialised support on raw materials cooperation, diplomacy and foresight.

The Observatory’s goals are to:

  • Promote international cooperation on mineral raw materials research & innovation, education & outreach, industry & trade and recycling, management & substitution of strategic raw materials
  • Expand raw materials diplomacy and disseminate best practice on mineral raw materials supply
  • Provide to policy-makers independent comprehensive analysis of raw materials that is authoritative, confidential and objective
  • Help organisations along the minerals value chain improving their sustainability.

More information: https://intraw.eu 

KINDRA: Knowledge Inventory for hydrogeology research

PROJECT NUMBER: 642047
START DATE: 01.01.2015
DURATION: 36 MONTHS

kindraproject.eu

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Groundwater and hydrogeology-related research activities cover a wide spectrum of research areas at EU and national levels. However, groundwater issues are quite often either ignored or considered only in insufficient detail and separated from the associated surface water bodies, despite groundwater’s critical importance as renewable, high-quality, naturally protected (but still vulnerable) resource that has significant impacts on both surface water bodies and ecosystems. The EU-funded KINDRA project seeks to take stock of our current knowledge of hydrogeology through an inventory of research results, activities, projects and programmes. The European Federation of Geologists (EFG) is the leader on the data collection and processing to  carry out EU-wide assessment of existing practical and scientific knowledge (using the developed HRC-SYS) focusing on EU, national, regional, international and EU-third party scientific activities. This assessment will be implemented with the help of the national members of EFG. EFG is also involved in the dissemination activity. Most of EFG’s members are also part of the consortium as third parties.

EFG Linked Third Parties 

  • Belgo-Luxembourg Union of Geologists (Belgium-Luxembourg)
  • Croatian Geological Society (Croatia)
  • Czech Association of Economic Geologists (Czech Republic)
  • Danish Geological Society (Denmark)
  • The Finnish Union of Environmental Professionals (Finland)
  • Professional Association of German Geoscientists (Germany)
  • Association of Greek Geologists (Greece)
  • Hungarian Geological Society (Hungary)
  • Institute of Geologists of Ireland (Ireland)
  • Italian National Council of Geologists (Italy)
  • Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands (The Netherlands)
  • Polish Association of Minerals Asset Valuators (Poland)
  • Portuguese Association of Geologists (Portugal)
  • Slovenian Geological Society (Slovenia)
  • Serbian Geological Society (Serbia)
  • Official Spanish Association of Professional Geologists (Spain)
  • Swiss Association of Geologists (Switzerland)
  • Ukrainian Association of Geologists (Ukraine)
  • Geological Society of London (UK)

More information: www.kindraproject.eu

FORAM: Towards a World Forum on Raw Materials

PROJECT NUMBER: 730127
START DATE: 01.11.2016
DURATION: 24 MONTHS

foramproject.net

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The project Towards a World Forum on Raw Materials (FORAM) will develop and set up an EU-based platform of international experts and stakeholders that will advance the idea of a World Forum on Raw Materials and enhance the international cooperation on raw material policies and investments. This platform will work together on making the current complex maze of existing raw material related initiatives more effective. As such, the FORAM project will be the largest collaborative effort for raw materials strategy cooperation on a global level so far. Synergies with relevant EU Member States initiatives will be explored and fostered. Particularly, the project will seek to engage the participation of G20 Member countries and other countries active in the mining and other raw materials sectors, so that experiences will be shared and understanding of all aspects of trade in raw materials will be increased. The global use of mineral resources has drastically increased and supply chains have become ever more complex. Several global initiatives and organizations have been contributing to knowledge and information transfer, including the European Commission, UNEP International Resource Panel, the World Resources Forum, the World Materials Forum, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and others. It is widely felt that improved international resource transparency and governance would be beneficial for all, since it would lead to stability, predictability, resource-efficiency and hence a better foundation for competitiveness on a sustainable basis. The FORAM Consortium is composed by twelve international organisations and government bodies, industries, SMEs, and universities with mixed and exclusive expertise in international dialogues in the field of non-energy abiotic raw materials. The Project Coordinator is the Swiss based World Resources Forum Association (WRFA). The partners are: EuroGeoSurveys, European Federation of Geologists, United Nations University, Leiden University, University Kassel, Clausthal University of Technology, ESM/Matsearch, Gondwana Empreendimentos e Consultorias, Servicio Geológico Colombiano, MinPol GmbH and La Palma Research Centre for Future Studies SL. In addition, more than 20 international organisations are involved as Advisory Board members and 40 organizations as Linked Third Parties, for a total number of over 70 key influencers. Particularly, the Advisory Board is composed by key policy makers from multilateral organizations and national governments, multi-stakeholder and industry platforms, Geological and Mining Surveys representing all world regions, think-tanks and research institutes. More information: http://foramproject.net/

MICA: Mineral Intelligence Capacity Analysis

PROJECT NUMBER: 689648
START DATE: 01.12.2015
DURATION:  26 MONTHS

mica-project.eu

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Primary and secondary raw materials are fundamental to Europe’s economy and growth and play a prominent role as a source of prosperity in Europe. The Mineral Intelligence Capacity Analysis (MICA) project contributes to on-going efforts towards the establishment of such an infrastructure by projects such as ProMine, EURare, Minventory, EuroGeoSource, Minerals4EU, ProSum, I2Mine, INTRAW, MINATURA2020 and others. The MICA project brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts from natural and technical sciences, social sciences including political sciences, and information science and technology to ensure that raw material intelligence is collected, collated, stored and made accessible in the most useful way corresponding to stakeholder needs. Furthermore, the MICA project integrates a group of 15 European geological surveys that contribute to the work program as third parties. They have specific roles in the fulfilment of tasks and will provide feedback to the project from the diverse range of backgrounds that characterizes the European geoscience community.

The main objectives of MICA are:

  • Identification and definition of stakeholder groups and their raw material intelligence (RMI) requirements,
  • Consolidation of relevant data on primary and secondary raw materials,
  • Determination of appropriate methods and tools to satisfy stakeholder RMI requirements,
  • Investigation of (RMI-) options for European mineral policy development,
  • Development of the EU-Raw Materials Intelligence Capacity Platform (EU-RMICP) integrating information on data and methods/tools with user interface capable of answering stakeholder questions,
  • Linking the derived intelligence to the European Union Raw Materials Knowledge Base developed by the Minerals4EU project.

EFG supports the Work Package on communication, outreach and linkages. EFG in collaboration with EuroGeoSurvey will be involved in:

  • Development of the Communication Strategy
  • Engagement with Geosciences data providers
  • Engagement with Professionals
  • Public outreach

More information: http://mica-project.eu

VAMOS: ¡Viable and Alternative Mine Operating System!

PROJECT NUMBER: 642477
START DATE: 01.02.2015
DURATION: 42 MONTHS

www.vamos-project.eu

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As part of the Horizon 2020 programme, a new 42 month Research Development Project, has been launched to help provide an opportunity to tap into the wealth of unexploited European mineral resources. The estimated cost of the Project is approximately 12.6 million Euros. The aim of the ¡VAMOS! (Viable Alternative Mine Operating System) project is to design and build a robotic, underwater mining prototype with associated launch and recovery equipment, which will be used to perform field tests at four EU minesites. Three of these are inland inactive submerged mineral deposits and the other is offshore. Building on successful deep-sea excavation techniques, this prototype will provide a safer and cleaner option for extracting currently unreachable and/or uneconomic mineral deposits. ¡VAMOS! will also look to enhance currently available underwater sensing, spatial awareness, navigational and positioning technology, as well as providing an intergrated solution for efficient real-time monitoring of the parameters associated with potential environmental impacts. Under the coordination of BMT Group Ltd and the Technical management of Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd, a consortium of 17 project partners from nine EU countries will collaborate, including: Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd; Damen Shipyards Group; Instituto de Engenharia Sistemas e Computadores; Fugro EMU Limited; Zentrum für Telematik e.V.; Montanuniversität Leoben; Minerália, Lda; Marine Minerals Ltd; Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro SA; Sandvik Mining and Construction G.m.b.H; Geological survey of Slovenia; La Palma Research Centre for Future Studies; European Federation of Geologists; Trelleborg Ede Bv; Federalni zavod za Geologijo and Fondacija za obnovu I razvoj regije Vareš. EFG is involved in Innovation Targets and Stakeholder Engagement.  EFG will deliver Stakeholder workshops and dissemination activity. More information: www.vamos-project.eu

MINATURA 2020: Developing a concept for a European minerals deposit framework

PROJECT NUMBER: 642139
START DATE: 01.02.2015
DURATION:  36 MONTHS

minatura2020.eu

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MINATURA2020 was launched in February 2015 as a response to social needs to safeguard mineral deposits of public importance for the future. The overall objective of this three-year project is to develop a concept and methodology for the definition and subsequent protection of “Mineral Deposits of Public Importance” (MDoPI) in order to ensure their best use in the future.

EFG is involved in the establishment of the Council of Stakeholders and leads the Work Package on Dissemination.

More information: www.minatura2020.eu

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The European Federation of Geologists was the co-ordinator of the GEOTRAINET project, a 30-months project, co-financed by the European Commission’s “Intelligent Energy – Europe”. Geo-Education for a sustainable geothermal heating and cooling market (GEOTRAINET) aimed to develop the training of professionals involved in Ground Source Heat Pump installations (GSHP). The vision of the GEOTRAINET project was that the training and certification programs will be recognised all over Europe and provide benchmark standards for consistent voluntary further education in the field of shallow geothermal in all participating countries. The official activity of this project ended in February 2011 but members of the consortium decided to capitalise on the results and knowledge harnessed by this project. Several meetings have been held since the end of the project in order to prepare a legal framework for continuing Geotrainet’s GEOTRAINET is now established as a Belgian not-for-profit association (aisbl), which will:

• Deliver training and certification programmes in the field of shallow geothermal energy recognised all over Europe.

• Provide benchmark standards for consistent voluntary further education in participating countries.

The training programme is aimed at GSHP installers and designers and will provide the market with trained experts in the field of shallow geothermal technology who can both design install and commission efficient systems. More information: http://geotrainet.eu

EURO-AGES: The European Accredited Geological Study Programmes-Project

PROJECT NUMBER:
START DATE:
DURATION: –

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From 2009 to 2011, the European Federation of Geologists participated in a European Qualifications Framework (EQF) Project of the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme (DG Education and Culture). The project aimed at developing Europe-wide applicable quality standards and criteria for the assessment of higher education programs in geology in the context of the Bologna Process. The project partners worked towards developing framework standards that were tested for their validity and applicability through discussion with stakeholders and related networks. The project desired to reach the largest possible consensus among the relevant stakeholders. It aimed at:

– Supporting improvement of the quality of higher education in geology. – Facilitating mutual recognition by program validation and certification. – Facilitating recognition of accredited degrees in geology higher education in accordance with the EU directives and other agreements. – Supporting academic as well as professional mobility of geology graduates. – Establishing the relationship with the qualification profile required by the EUR-GEOL title.

Project partners: ASIIN, agency of academic and professional associations and higher education institutions in Germany (Coordinator project). EFG, European Federation of Geologists. ICOG, Official Spanish Association of Professional geologists. MFT, Hungarian Geological Society; and SN, Swedish. Natural Scientists Association – Geological Section.

Outcomes:

A geohazard information service for Europe – Enabling Free Access to Geological Information

PROJECT NUMBER:
START DATE: FEBRUARY 2011
DURATION: 36 MONTHS

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Since February 2011 the European Federation of Geologists has been participating in the 36-month PanGeo project funded within the 7th European Framework Programme.The objective of PanGeo is to enable free and open access to geo-hazard information.  This will be achieved by the generation of a validated Geohazard Data Layer supported by a Geohazard Summary for 52 of the largest towns listed in the GMES Land Theme’s Urban Atlas involving all 27 countries of the EU. The key users of PanGeo are: – Local Authority planners and regulators concerned with managing development risk, – National geological surveys and geo-science institutes which are obliged to collect geohazard data for public benefit, – Policy-makers concerned with assessing and comparing European geological risk, much as the Urban Atlas data is used to compare the land cover/use status of European towns. Any user can visit the PanGeo web-portal and see the cities for which attributed geo-hazard data with the Urban Atlas to highlight the polygons influenced is available, and view that information.  Any persons who also think that their city should have such a geo-hazard layer compiled should click on the ‘PanGeo my town’ button on the PanGeo web site and submit their request. Products integrate: a) Interpreted InSAR terrain-motion data, b) Geological information, and c) The landcover and land use data contained within the Urban Atlas. The integration and interpretation, together with a validation of key features observed, are being made by the corresponding national Geological Survey for the towns concerned.  The 52 towns for processing were chosen from the Urban Atlas list to represent where the information will be of most use and represent 13% of total EU urban population. Terrafirma has shown the potential for the self-sustainability of services providing InSAR-derived terrain-motion data, as 30% of users have gone on to procure further product on a commercial basis. You can download the PanGeo Brochure here.

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