Macaronight 2024 – another successful event!

/in , /by

Around 10000 science enthusiasts and curious minds across the Macaronesia gathered last Friday of September for Macaronight 2024, an annual event celebrating science, innovation, and research. The MacaroNight project is led by La Palma Research Centre with the help of local partners in Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands.

Held on September 27th this year, Macaronight is part of the wider European Researchers’ Night, an initiative aimed at bridging the gap between scientists and the public. The night, celebrated in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Madeira and São Miguel, was packed with interactive experiments, workshops, talks, and live demonstrations at institutions and public spaces throughout the region.

The 2024 edition continued its tradition of bringing the joy of scientific discovery to people of all ages, offering a mix of hands-on activities and scientific monologues. This year’s themes focused on climate change, restoration of oceans and waters, and transition towards healthy soils.

The realisation of Macaronight couldn’t be possible without our partners, Fundación General de la Universidad de La Laguna, Big Van Ciencia, Universidade da Madeira and Observatório do Mar dos Açores.

We can’t wait to meet you again on September 26th 2025!

La Palma Research Centre organizes the MacaroNight 2024

/in , /by

Similarly to previous years (from 2018 to 2023), LPRC is the coordinator of the MacaroNight project series, a Marie Curie Researchers’ Night project aiming to bring the science in Macaronesia together for a night to show the public that Macaronesia regions share a common research identity, with common challenges and assets appealing to the new generations of Macaronesian researchers to develop a career in sciences.

The project has grown exponentially every year since 2018 and has amassed a multitude of stakeholders and external collaborations that have allowed for the success of each edition of the European Researchers’ Night in the Macaronesia.

Macaronight has become a door to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for the students and young adults of the Macaronesian region and is celebrated every year on the last Friday of September in the archipelagos of the Canary Islands, the Azores and the Madeira Island.

In 2024, MacaroNight will happen on the 27 September. The venus from Azores, Madeira, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, will present the participants with a series of talks, experiments, showcases and quizzes in topics connected to the islands and the EU Missions A Soil Deal for Europe, Adaptation to Climate Change and Restore our Oceans and Waters.

Join the MacaroNight events in your venue of choice!

More information:

La Palma Research Centre

FluidNET final training event in La Palma (November 2023)

/in , /by

During the last week of November, the FluidNET (Fluids driving the evolution of the continental crust: influence of pathway networks, fluxes, and time scales) Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN project team visited La Palma to host the final training event for the 12 early-stage researchers involved in the project. 

During the one-week training, the early-stage researchers received advice, among other things, on career pathways available after concluding their PhD, funding opportunities in science and industry, and tips and hints on how to apply to research and industry positions. The programme also included two field visits, one to the Laurisilva forest and the other to the Tajogaite volcano. 

LPRC contributed to the training sessions, provided logistical assistance, and helped organizing the field trip to Tajogaite (in collaboration with GeoTenerife). 

We hope they enjoyed their stay on the island as much as we enjoyed supporting the organizing team! We wish good last months to the project and the best of luck to the 12 early-stage researchers in finishing their PhDs and navigating to the next steps in their careers!

La Palma offers a lot of possibilities for celebrating training events, workshops, and team retreats and LPRC can help your organization to make the most of your stay.

La Palma Research Centre

LPRC gives RaVeN students the “Business training and general trends in the raw materials value chain” course

/in , /by

Last week the LPRC team went to Krakow, Poland, to provide a course for the  EIT-Labelled RaVeN Master’s at AGH University of Science and Technology. The course, which was provided during the 20 and 21 November, was entitled “Business training and general trends in the raw materials value chain”.

During the two days of the course, students listened to lectures and took part in seminars that provided fundamental knowledge and practical skills that young entrepreneurs and innovators must possess. Students also obtained knowledge on future trends and scenarios of the raw materials value chain, allowing them to scan and think ahead for innovative solutions.

To complement their theoretical learning, the MSc students implemented their gained knowledge on practical exercises, drafting lean canvases, outlining business plans and giving their first business pitches based on their own business ideas.

The LPRC team enjoyed the experience and would like to wish all the best to the RaVeN – Raw Materials Value Chain Master’s course!

La Palma Research Centre

LPRC’s projects at the EU SuperCluster Lapland Geoconference

/in , /by

LPRC participated in the EU’s Supercluster Lapland Geoconference representing the TRIDENT project, seeking to create synergies and future collaborations among other raw materials related projects. The project was presented in the “New Frontiers For Exploration” session, in which the coordinator explained the innovative approach of the project addressing knowledge gaps and uncertainties regarding the environmental and social impacts of deep-sea mining. LPRC also prepared a poster to draw attention from projects dealing with similar goals and build future clustering opportunities.

CIRAN co-organized and actively participated in the EU SuperCluster Lapland Geoconference, which took place on 30 and 31 October. This event served as a dynamic stage for the CIRAN project, allowing CIRAN’s partners to interact with industry experts, environmental advocates and fellow innovators. The SuperCluster meeting went beyond a simple meeting and became a hub for knowledge sharing, collaboration and inspiration. Together with 11 other EU-funded projects – EIS, AGEMERA, GOLDENEYE, GREENPEG, SEMACRET, M4MINING, MaDiTraCe, MinExTarget, MultiMiner and SEMACRET.

Besides TRIDENT and CIRAN, three other projects in which LPRC is involved were presented: CRM-Geothermal, ROBOMINERS, and START. In total, the conference was the biggest EU’s clustering event on raw materials, gathering up to 23 different EU-funded projects, with 142 registered participants coming from 52 countries and representing 69 expert organisations.

The EU SuperCluster Lapland Geoconference stands out as a platform that promotes synergies between projects in the raw materials sector. This collaborative environment allowed us to delve into the challenges and latest developments within the industry. At the heart of the conference was an atmosphere of cooperation.

La Palma Research Centre

Futures Conference 2023 – Empowering Futures, 14-16 June 2023, Turku, Finland

/in , /by

The La Palma Research Centre team joined a community of futures academics and researchers in Turku, Finland, for the Futures Conference 2023, entitled “Empowering Futures – Long-term Governance, Democracy and Futures Research”. This edition was dedicated to discussions on the use of foresight and futures thinking to drive future aspects of our world, especially on ESG topics – Environmental, Social and Governance.

LPRC submitted an abstract (see page 13) based on the foresight and strategic work done for the ROBOMINERS project and it was granted a presentation slot on the 14th June 2023 for the session “Foresight and Futures Research for Sustainable Transitions”, where there were around 20 people attending. The title of the LPRC presentation was “Application of Foresight Tools in Research of a Low-Impact Mining Ecosystem” and intended to show to the session participants the work done towards the creation and development of a future strategic plan for further development of the ROBOMINERS technology for the years 2030 and 2050, based on a series of foresight methodologies: Horizon Scanning, Focus Groups, Delphi Survey, Visioning, Preparation for Pilots and Roadmapping. The presentation was well received and got a few questions regarding the methodology and the results of these exercises.

For the remaining of the conference, the LPRC team attended other sessions and presentations to learn more about the implementation of foresight methodologies and engaged in discussions and networking with the other participants.

This was a fruitful experience by the LPRC team, following a previous participation in 2019 to present the results of the implementation of foresight methodologies on the CHPM 2030 project. Hopefully, we will be back to the Futures Conference in the upcoming years to present the results from other projects.

La Palma Research Centre

LPRC organised and hosted the 1st ROBOMINERS Roadmapping Workshop in La Palma

/in , /by

The LPRC team organised the 1st ROBOMINERS project Roadmapping Workshop on the 4th of May 2023 as part of the foresight efforts to map the future of the innovative mining technology. Participants from inside ROBOMINERS as well as external experts from robotics and raw materials-related fields had the chance to contribute with their ideas and visions for the 2030 ROBOMINERS Roadmap, which aims at future research and development towards real pilot implementation. On the 5th of May, the participants enjoyed a well deserved field trip.

The Workshop day started with introductory presentations to bring all the experts up-to-date with the project activities and goals. The three presentations focused on the project, on the efforts of Work Package 8 (Active Roadmapping and Clustering) and finally, on the Roadmapping itself, the main expected outcome of the day’s work. Then, the participants were divided into two groups, led by LPRC members, working parallelly on 4 similar exercises throughout the day. These exercises made use of a handmade canvas specifically developed for this Workshop, with post-its containing the relevant inputs from experts.

The first of these exercises aimed at bringing the participants in line with previous activities (Clustering, Focus Groups, Horizon Scanning, Delphi Survey, Visioning and Preparation for Pilots) with a review and validation exercise. To achieve this, participants were asked to approve and comment on previously collected targets gathered for ROBOMINERS, while at the same time suggesting new valid targets to take into consideration.

Exercises 2 and 3 worked in tandem. During exercise 2, participants were asked to suggest actions and pathways relevant for the main areas of ROBOMINERS: Exploration, Development, Operation, the Robot-miner and PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal). During exercise 3 participants were asked to prioritise the actions and ideas that were on the canvas, through a “funding” exercise, where each participant was allocated funds to invest in specific areas.

For the last exercise, participants worked towards a specific pilot site where ROBOMINERS could be implemented in 2030. Two mines were chosen for this exercise, one in Estonia, one in Hungary. During this exercise participants identified what actions need to be implemented for the ROBOMINERS technology to be ready for pilots in 7 years.

The working day was completed with a business workshop, led by the European Federation of Geologists.

The second day was dedicated to a field trip to two main atractions of La Palma: the astronomical observatories and the Roque de los Muchacos, both above 2000m, and to recent lava fields, a landscape made by the 2021 volcanic eruption.

The LPRC team will now process the results of this fruitful Workshop!

LPRC attends the premiere of LAVA BOMBS in La Palma

/in , /by

Last Saturday our La Palma team attended the premiere of the LAVA BOMBS documentary produced by GeoTenerife (full credits, more news and details: https://twitter.com/LavaBombsFilm).

GeoTenerife was on the ground essentially from the beginning of the Cumbre Vieja eruption that started on 19 September 2021, filming and making interviews.

The cinematic scenes and drone footages are breathtaking, and the narrative is deep and compelling. But where this movie truly excels is that it takes us deep into the human dimension of the eruption. The strongest part of the documentary is where citizens, scientists and local politicians are sharing their thoughts, feelings and uncertainties as the volcano is erupting in the background.

There are no self-proclaimed prophets or omnipotent scientists making big statements here, only decent human beings, doing their best to manage a crisis, working at the limits of our understanding of volcanic processes, where uncertainty is always a key factor in the equation.

An impressive documentary that dares to touch so many sensitive issues. Living through the eruption on La Palma as ordinary citizens we were deeply moved by this film that focuses on us, and cares so much for the citizens of our island.

 

ROBOMINERS

ROBOMINERS Consortium and Review meeting, Brussels, 29, 30 June and 1 July 2022

/in , /by

The ROBOMINERS consortium met in the capital of Europe, Brussels, for the most recent project meeting, which was coupled with a field visit and a review meeting with the European Commission-related personnel.

The meeting agenda started with a field trip to the South of Belgium to see the ROBOMINERS prototype in action in the field on 29 June, where the project partners had the chance to see the prototype (currently in development) in action.

On the following day, 30 June, the consortium members got together to discuss the state of project – with a review on the past, present and future status of all the operating Work Packages. La Palma Research Centre presented WP8 – Active roadmapping and Clustering, providing a view on the clustering activities and the many foresight actions towards future ROBOMINERS roadmaps. In the afternoon, which was dedicated to internal workshops and discussion groups, LPRC organised a visioning workshop with the participation of several project members. Data obtained from this interactive exercise will be used for implementation of the Work Package 8 foresight methodology.

On the 1st of July it was time for the Review meeting with the European Commission. The Work Packages leaders presented the work done and answered the questions and doubts put forwarded by the reviewers. Luís Lopes from LPRC represented Work Package 8.

Work within ROBOMINERS will now continue with technological development and integration into the prototype, aiming at the field tests of 2023. This work will be supported by foresight analysis developed and implemented by LPRC and ethical, environmental and economical analysis made by other project partners.

Follow the project through its website and social media to be up to date with ROBOMINERS developments!

La Palma Research Centre

LPRC co-organised the recent ROBOMINERS workshop

/in , /by

The most recent ROBOMINERS-related workshop entitled “Innovation in Selective Mining: new trends and technological advances to reduce the environmental footprint of mineral extraction“ was co-organised by the  Geological Survey of Belgium (GSB), European Federation of Geoligists (EFG) and La Palma Research Centre (LPRC) on the 8th June 2022, in a physical event in Brussels, Belgium. The main goal of this workshop was to bring together internal and external partners working on selective mining to discuss the current and future research on the field.

The Workshop was inaugurated by Giorgia Stasi (GSB), with a welcome speech made by Vanessa Heyvaert (GSB). Then, a series of presentations on the topic followed: Patrick Nadoll (EIT RawMaterials) presented the overall raw materials panorama and the work of EIT RawMaterials; Christian Burlet (GSB) presented the ROBOMINERS project; Sophie Decree (GSB) and Nolwenn Coint (Geological Survey of Norway) discussed the phosphate exploration in Europe; Pablo Sobron (Impossible Sensing) mentioned how precision mining can be used from deep sea to deep space applications; Christophe Germay (EPSLog) presented their transdisciplinary multi sensor core logging technology. After the presentations, authors participated in a Panel Discussion on raw materials, mining and other related topics.

In the afternoon, two sessions were held. The first focused a laboratory demonstration LIBS and Fluorescence, techniques used in mining exploration and was presented by GSB. The visioning exercise that followed was led by LPRC. The event finished with a few remarks and conclusions made by the organisers.

A total of 25 participants on site and 10 participants online from different fields including technology development, policy and journalism were present to learn more and discuss the development of selective mining, topic especially important for the ROBOMINERS project.