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TIMREX Steering Commitee Meeting, 27-28 June 2024, Wroclaw, Poland

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La Palma Research Centre joined the TIMREX consortium in Wroclaw, Poland, on the 27-28 June 2024, as part of the project’s yearly Steering Committee meeting. This event was hosted by the partner Wroclaw University of Science and Technology.

The meeting began with welcome words and practicalities, followed by the overview of the agenda and the objectives of the meeting. After that, all partners engaged in discussions about administrative topics and workplan with regards to the different components of the TIMREX programme. The latest editions of the Summer School and Applied Field Exploration course were presented, including the feedback provided by the participating students, followed by discussions on how to improve these actions for next students. The Exploration entrepreneurship course, a strong entrepreneurial component of TIMREX programme, was also presented.

After that, the partners overviewed the thesis topics of the students and their internship activities as TIMREX students. The purpose of this section was to monitor the academic progress of the students, and to plan the necessary actions to fulfill the objectives of the study programme. LPRC presented the work done on Communication and Dissemination matters and how the efforts are helping the project.

Finally, the partners engaged in discussing the targets to be met in the near future and to assess the possibilities to extend the partnership for additional years.

La Palma Research Centre

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

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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!

AGH

RaVeN Project Kick-Off meeting, Krakow, October 2022

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The RaVeN project – a new EIT RawMaterials project in which LPRC takes part – had its Kick-Off meeting in Krakow, Poland in on the 17 and 18 October. This was the first time that project partners got together to discuss the implementation of the project, with special emphasis on the EIT Label that RaVeN applied for its Master’s programme.

RaVeN is a new two-year M.Sc. degree scheme that take into account a wide geographical spectrum, diversification and needs of social inclusion, and builds the capacity of higher education in the RIS and ESEE regions. Its main strength is its innovative approach to teaching along the raw materials value chain through the involvement of non-academic experts, mobility exchanges, industry and start-ups to support the learning process.

The meeting agenda included discussions on Management and project coordination, the EIT Label process and next steps, Students recruitment, Didatics, Summer School, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and, finally, Dissemination and Communication. LPRC leads the last of these Work Packages, but also contributes to some other Work Packages and Tasks.

As part of the its work until now, LPRC has been drafting a few communication and dissemination tools (website, social media, banner, etc) and the overall strategy that will help with the recruitment of students for this Master’s Programme on the Raw Materials Value Chain.

Follow the project on its website and social media for more information!

La Palma Research Centre

TIMREX Steering Committee meeting, Zagreb, October 2022

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LPRC took part in the most recent TIMREX project meeting, which brought the partners together for discussions on the project objectives and activities, in Zagreb, Croatia, on the 3 and 4 of October.

The meeting agenda included discussions on Summary of the EIT label application and labelling process, the Joint curriculum, the Role of the Exploration entrepreneurship course, the Innovation and entrepreneurship development, the Curriculum development towards Lighthouse targets , the Pilot Cohort, the project Homepage and Promo video. From LPRC, Luís Lopes presented the company’s work on Innovation and Entrepreneuship skills and competencies for the Masters programme, while Márcio Tameirão presented the work on the project homepage and planned video, and the Roadmap for 2022 KPIs, deliverables and preparation for 2023 tasks.

LPRC will continue to lead and implement work on both the Innovation and Entrepreneurship skills and competencies development and work on the project’s communication and dissemination actions.

Follow the project on its website and social media for more information!

LPRC participates on a new EIT RawMaterials Education project!

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TIMREX is a newly started EIT RawMaterials project that will develop a Master’ Programme for Innovative Mineral Resource Exploration. The project started in the beginning of 2022, and it will be concluded at the end of 2024.

The Kick-off meeting was held on Friday 14th January 2022, online with the 10 partner institutions, including LPRC. A total of 20 participants had the chance to discuss the initials steps and work plan in TIMREX. From LPRC, Luís Lopes (leading WP4) and Márcio Tameirão (leading WP7) were present.

The meeting started with welcome words from Ferenc Mádai, the Project Coordinator, from University of Miskolc. Afterwards, each partner had a few seconds to briefly introduce themselves to the other participants. In the sequence, the Project Coordinator proceeded with an overview of TIMREX, the main objectives, timeline, and the KPIs to be pursued. Subsequently, both the universities and the industrial & research members of the consortium presented their organisations and their role in the project. In this ocasion, Luís Lopes presented LPRC and its competences to be brought to TIMREX.

The last session consisted of presentations of each Work Package, by their respective leaders, comprising its objectives, timeline and expected impacts:

  • WP1 – Management and Governance (University of Miskolc)
  • WP2 – Curriculum development towards Lighthouse targets (Wroclaw University of Science and Technology)
  • WP3 – Mobility scheme development and labelling (University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering)
  • WP4 – Innovation and Entrepreneurship modules development (La Palma Research Centre)
  • WP5 – Mentoring and SOC competences development ( European Federation of Geologists)
  • WP6 – Field program development, organization and coordination ( Luleå University of Technology)
  • WP7 – Dissemination and outreach (La Palma Research Centre)

Follow the project updates and news on the website.

INTERMIN project Final Review Meeting

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The INTERMIN project held its Final Review Meeting with the EC on the 24th September. This was the opportunity to showcase to the European Commission the work that the project has developed and implemented over the last 3 years.

After the usual presentations of the meeting participants, discussions started with a presentation + Q&A session for each of the 6 Work Packages. LPRC, as leader of WP2 – Raw materials sector skills, gaps and emerging knowledge needs, presented the work done by the team on the collection and processing of the future skills and competences gaps for the raw materials value chain. Results were mentioning are the development of three reports: D2.1, D2.2 and D.2.3. The reviewers held a discussion with the LPRC team on the use of skills as a future proof measure to ensure the adaptation of the raw materials sector to new needs.

After all the Work Packages presentations and discussions, the project team received a very positive feedback on the INTERMIN outcomes. Next steps and the sustainability of the project after the funding period were also discussed.

The LPRC team is proud to be a part of INTERMIN and wish the best success to all the project participants and to the continuation of the project itself!

LPRC active during the last MOBI-US project Workshop

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The final event of the MOBI-US project was held in Zagreb, Croatia, on 20-21 September 2021. The MOBI-US Workshop 2 was dedicated to consortium partners and other leaders of the MSc programs involved in MOBI-US. A total of 17 participants had the opportunity to meet in person for the first time since the project’s kick-off meeting, in Budapest, Hungary. From La Palma Research Centre, Luís Lopes and Márcio Tameirão were present.

The first day started with welcome words by the Project Coordinator, followed by the MOBI-US achievements and promotional materials that have been produced to raise awareness on the project (developed by LPRC). Afterwards, the MSc program leaders were divided in groups in a Workshop-like exercise co-organised and co-mentored by LPRC. The goal was to foster the implementation of entrepreneurial & innovation skills in the offered education programs in MOBI-US.

The next block was dedicated to the improvement of project-based courses and curriculum fitness check of the mobility pathways, before the wrap-up of the first day of the event.

The second and final day of the Workshop started with an analysis made by the mentors on the submitted SWOT analyses and action plans from the Training event. During this ocasion, LPRC members made their mentoring comments on the received materials in order to support the development of joint cooperation. Finally, the consortium partners discussed about the potential future of MOBI-US.

The MOBI-US team

Stay tuned on the project’s communication channels to learn more about the final weeks of MOBI-US!

FUTOR project kick-off

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FUTOR – Fostering Futures Thinking in Europe’s Outermost Regions with the help of Digital Art – is the most recent project awarded to La Palma Research Centre, which is the project coordinator. This ERASMUS+ project is an initiative aimed at adolescent learners from the Outermost Regions of the European Union, in a very unique initiative.

The FUTOR project, which started in May this year, is already implementing its actions and tasks. The main goals of the project are to:

  • Empower students and young people with systemic futures thinking skills through international collaboration in a ‘climate’ supportive of individual creativity, critical thinking skills and digital literacies.
  • Educate students and young people about local and global environmental challenges using the DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, States, Impacts & Responses) framework while encouraging individual and collective responsibility in mitigating the aforementioned challenges.
  • Empower teachers with new pedagogical methods and tools that contribute to their lifelong learning repertoire while potentially enhancing their awareness of ‘adolescent matters’ and new ways to engage their students within their teaching practice.
  • Contribute to raising a generation that is ready and willing to make sacrifices to improve the state of the natural environment.
  • Raise awareness of fundamental skills that are often overlooked in today’s formal, STEM-inclined education, such as creativity, collaboration and systems thinking.
  • Create a durable and shareable positive example for other educational organizations in the European Union and beyond.

La Palma Research Centre, which represents the Canary Islands (Spain) is joined in FUTOR by Ajiter from Azores (Portugal) and Ici & Ailleurs from La Reunion (France). The project has a duration of 2 years. Learn more on our dedicated page for the project.

LPRC contributes to the MOBI-US Training event – Part 1

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The MOBI-US project has reached one more important milestone on the 18th of June 2021: the successful conclusion of MOBI-US Training event, Part 1. The objective of this online meeting was to gather representatives of other faculties and universities that offer raw materials-related higher education programs – from the ESEE region – to present some of MOBI-US’ results. The talks also mentioned the lessons learned, best-practices, and the guidelines that the consortium elaborated for an effective implementation of student mobilities. The main idea is to support and foster the development of more mobility programs and projects in the region, which will strengthen the higher education in this sector.

The MOBI-US training banner.

One of the speakers of the event was LPRC’s Luís Lopes who provided a presentation on “Competence criteria for raw materials programs, lessons from the INTERMIN project”. The talk covered the important role of education due to the uptake of new technologies, methods and tools that are used in the raw materials value chain, in order to build a stronger workforce that is adapted to the current and future market needs in the sector. In addition, he provided the main conclusions from the foresight analysis that LPRC conducted during the INTERMIN Project, presenting the skills and competences gaps in the mining sector.

Luís Lopes presenting the results of the foresight analysis of skills and competences gaps for the raw materials sector.

A total of 54 attendees had the opportunity to learn and interact with the presenters from MOBI-US consortium, as well as the guest speakers. The talks generated interest and engagement with the audience, which are crucial for the uptake of further cooperation between institutions and – consequently – the development of more mobility opportunities.

LPRC participation at the MOBI-US Industry Workshop!

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The Industry Workshop concludes MOBI-US’ events in 2020. The workshop gathered partners of the consortium, academic stakeholders, and industry players of the ESEE region (East & South-East Europe), to talk about what has been achieved within MOBI-US during the first project year. LPRC was the partner responsible for the elaboration of part of the Guidelines and for the dissemination and communication of project’s activities.

The main objective of the Industry Workshop was to invite members of the raw materials industry to learn about MOBI-US’ overall progress and the structured mobilities that had been developed by the partner institutions. Afterwards, these industrial representatives could provide their impressions and feedback, which will help MOBI-US to achieve its main goal: adding value to the existing MSc programs and to produce a well prepared workforce for the raw materials sector in the region.

The event was divided in two sessions. The morning session was dedicated to the consortium partners, in which the leaders of the MSc programs presented the mobility pathways that have been arranged with the other universities. This part of the meeting was a preparation for the following session, which was dedicated to presenting the project’s achievements to the representatives of the raw materials industry.

The MOBI-IS Industry Workshop attendees.

The afternoon session was dedicated to presenting the project’s achievements to the representatives of the raw materials industry of the ESEE region. The session started with welcome words and an introduction of MOBI-US by the Project Coordinator Ferenc Mádai – University of Miskolc. After that, the guideline materials were presented by the Mentoring partners of the project. In this opportunity, Luís Lopes – representing LPRC – introduced the document on “Skills, competence gaps and needs of the raw materials sector”, which is a result of the work done in the INTERMIN project. This document is currently being applied in MOBI-US as well, to support the effective development and implementation of the structured mobility network.

Luís Lopes presented the “Skills, competence gaps and needs of the raw materials sector” during the Industry Workshop.

The following sections consisted of a summarized presentation of the mobility programs that were drafted, as well as an open talk with the industry members to discuss what was presented and to collect their suggestions and input. The discussion covered relevant topics that will help MOBI-US to achieve its goals and expected impacts towards the raw materials education in the ESEE region.

The event counted with 35 participants in total.