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CIRAN 3rd Consortium Meeting (Bologna, Italy)

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From September 30 to October 3 2024, the CIRAN project team gathered in Bologna, Italy, for the 3rd in-person Consortium Meeting following Brussels and Lisbon. An engaging opportunity for project partners to share the progress and results with the External Experts and the European Commission’s Project Officer, the team reviewed the project implementation and planned the next steps for the second half of CIRAN. This four-day event brought together key stakeholders and provided valuable insights to shape the project’s future direction.

The first two days were dedicated to maximising the time with CIRAN External Experts. The starting point was a workshop initiated with an engaging parliamentary hearing exercise, focused on key assumptions for permitting a mine in an environmentally protected area. This set the stage for partners to present the latest updates on their respective Tasks, with expert feedback proving invaluable in reckoning results from the project’s first half. The afternoon session featured a group exercise aimed at refining a permitting decision tree. These discussions were aimed at reaching a consensus on the permitting decision-making process based on each of these priorities, further enhancing collaboration between partners and experts. The day concluded with a delightful city tour of the historical sites of Bologna led by a local guide, followed by a group dinner to continue engaging in insightful conversations and further the connections among the CIRAN community.

The second day included a field trip to the Vena del Gesso Romagnola Regional Park, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023. The group met with park authorities at Rocca di Riolo Terme, where presentations covered the park’s protected area designations, sustainability efforts, and the extraction activities of the Saint-Gobain group at the Monte Tondo Quarry. A guided tour of the active quarry and the Saint-Gobain production facilities focused on plasterboard manufacturing from the extracted gypsum helped illustrate the balance between biodiversity preservation and economic activities for regional and national development.

The Project Review Meeting with the European Commission’s Project Officer (PO) and an academic external evaluator happened during the third day. CIRAN’s results from the first half of the project were presented in detail, highlighting milestones achieved and ongoing key strategic objectives. The project received overall approval and commendations.

On the last day the Consortium partners discussed the next steps and strategies to achieve project objectives by December 2025, ensuring effective implementation of the remaining tasks for the completion of CIRAN as well as identifying the open opportunities to continue working on this complex balance.

In the CIRAN project the team of La Palma Research Centre is responsible for mapping the connections between policy decisions and drivers of change for mining activities, with the help of foresight tools and engagement with experts, as well as leading the development and implementation of communication and dissemination actions towards stakeholders and general public.  For LPRC, work will continue with the development of the CIRAN 2035 scenarios.

La Palma Research Centre

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

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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.

Call for experts – ROBOMINERS Delphi Survey

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The LPRC team would like to invite you to answer to the ROBOMINERS Delphi Survey Round 2 as an expert in mining / geosciences topics: https://webgate.acceptance.ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/ROBOMINERSDelphiSurvey2ndRound.

The ROBOMINERS Delphi Survey presents a series of statements about the future (2050) on topics relevant for the vision and implementation of its technology line. You, as a participant, are invited to freely comment and express opinion on those topics.

In particular, this Survey is the 2nd round of the Delphi Survey which builds upon the comments and statistics made by the experts in Round 1. You can find the statistics and highlights from the previous Round here. This will be the last round and after all data is collected from experts it will be processed and a final document with the results will be produced.

The ROBOMINERS concept

Participation in the survey takes approximately 30 minutes and your answers will be kept strictly confidential and anonymous.

Thank you for your help!

About Delphi Surveys

The Delphi survey was originally developed as a technological forecasting technique, which aimed at reaching consensus over relevant technological developments. Nowadays, Delphi Surveys have expanded into a variety of modified approaches. However, at its core, the Delphi method stands out as a reliable method in situations where individual judgements must be elicited and combined to address an incomplete state of knowledge. The Delphi method is based on anonymous opinions of experts who are fed back the results of a round-based survey, allowing these experts to rethink their judgement and converge to consensus over key identified areas.

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 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.

ROBOMINERS e-Consortium meeting, 7th September 2020

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The ROBOMINERS consortium, where LPRC participates and leads one Work Package – based on the application of foresight studies -, got together in an online way to discuss relevant aspects of this innovative project on the 7th of September.

For the purpose of this meeting, LPRC was responsible to present the status of WP8 – Active clustering and roadmapping. Until now, the team has been working towards clustering with other projects and initiatives with the aim to share knowledge on robotics and raw materials topics alike. After the WP status introductions, LPRC also prepared and hosted a Focus Group exercise with some of the project partners where relevant ROBOMINERS topics were explored and discussed.

The Focus Group exercise ran in a very standard way: the moderator – Luís Lopes – asked the pre-defined questions and each participant was requested to give their own opinions and answers. The exercise run in a way that a series of thoughts from real experts was collected.

Following the results of the exercise and the discussions held, LPRC will now compile and analyse the data collected and proceed with the implementation of this specific task.

 

ROBOMINERS Consortium Meeting, Tallinn

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It was in Tallinn, Estonia, that the ROBOMINERS project partners were brought together to discuss the current state of this H2020 project as well as to prepare the future steps in the development of the bio-inspired robot for mining mineral deposits that are small or difficult to access. If successful, ROBOMINERS technology could shape the future of the mineral exploration and exploitation industries and at large adapt the raw materials sector to more sustainable practices.

The meeting in Tallinn, held on the 14th and 15th of January 2020, kickstarted on the first day with a revision of the project’s technical work packages. From Robotics to Raw Materials the ROBOMINERS partners discussed a number of topics that are likely to shape the current and future development of the project’s main concept: to develop a robot that can mine in difficult environments in flooded conditions. After these, technical sessions showed light on the main topics of the project. Here, partners could discuss and contribute to more specific robotics and raw materials items. Examples include the use of legged locomotion as a means of robotic movement or the most adequate geological environments and commodities to be mined with the Robotminer.

On the second day the ROBOMINERS team had a “Workshop on bio-inspired legged locomotion” with presentations based on Robotics developments made by the consortium partners. Then, LPRC hosted its own foresight activity: a Horizon Scanning exercise – where the company members tried to lay the current state-of-play and future developments in key specific areas within the robotics and raw materials fields, in an interactive exercise with the ROBOMINERS internal experts. The results of this exercise will allow the LPRC team to better prepare and adapt the remaining foresight tasks envisaged for WP8 – Active roadmapping and clustering.

Now it is time for the LPRC team to process the results and further involve experts to guide the project technological development in the future.

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ROBOMINERS/UNEXMIN Joint Workshop, Amsterdam

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Luís Lopes, responsible for Communication and dissemination in UNEXMIN and for Roadmapping in ROBOMINERS, went from the LPRC side to a joint workshop that brough together three projects to discuss and share ideas on development. PIPEBOTS joined the two above mentioned projects.

Talks and discussions on robotics-related topics made the core of the debate. The specific areas of discussion worked around: 1) Robotics, 2) Sensing, 3) SLAM/Navigation and 4) Communications.

LPRC took this opportunity to give a first step in the ROBOMINERS roadmapping process. One of the main tasks of roadmapping is to create clusters with other ongoing projects. This was achieved by sharing information on ROBOMINERS and collecting information on the other two projects. A follow-up will be next step and the aim is to share information on common challenges and possible approaches.

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Tamas Miklovicz

CHPM2030 project closure

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CHPM2030 Final meeting

The CHPM2030 project partners met in Lillafüred, Hungary, for the last Consortium meeting, hosted by the coordinator, University of Miskolc. On the first day the six WP leaders presented the final outcomes and the status of deliverables. Tamas Miklovicz from LPRC presented WP6 – Roadmapping and preparation for pilots and the CHPM Roadmap and recommendations for future research projects (view Prezi slideshow here). Two brainstorming sessions were held, with similar aims: on the first, Tamás Madarász, coordinator from UNIM, facilitated a discussion regarding “Potential for follow-up; How to proceed?”, and the partners discussed each technological components and evaluated whether it shall proceed as a complete CHPM look or as individual components, considering opportunities and threats. The second session was about “Preparation for the pilots, potential funding sources, future projects”. It reviewed each work packages within the project for ideas, funding opportunities, research topics, and the continuation of CHPM technology. Project reporting and financial issues were also discussed in the afternoon.

On the second day, the partners visited the Miskolc geothermal district heating system and its infrastructure (offices, heat exchangers, production/injection wells). The host, PannErgy, introduced the geological, geothermal and engineering aspects of the system.

As of June 30th, the working period of the project officially finished, and now the team is working on the project technical and financial reporting. LPRC is responsible to provide the technical reporting of the whole of WP6.

The objectives of WP6 – Roadmapping and preparation for pilots

The CHPM technology is a low-TRL, novel and disruptive but fragile idea, that needs further nurturing and future oriented thinking. Work Package 6 represents these forward-looking efforts and aims to set the ground for subsequent pilot implementation by working on three interlinked areas: mapping convergent technology areas (linked to CHPM exploration, development, operation and market), study potential pilot areas and develop future research roadmaps.These three areas are grouped under the WP6 subtasks: Task 6.1 Horizon scanning & Visions; Task 6.2 Preparation for pilots; Task 6.3 Roadmapping. The work of WP6, including the 3 sub-tasks has been implemented thanks to the coordination and facilitation of LPRC, with the involvement of all Partners, Advisory Board members and external Experts. WP6 ran since December 2017.

Task 6.1 Horizon Scanning and Visions 

Recently, the two main activities in this task were: the 2nd round of the CHPM2030 Delphi survey and the Visioning workshop.

The Delphi survey was a 2 round, expert input based foresight tool, that was completed by 133 participants, worldwide. All Partners received and completed both rounds. Partners, especially EFG and UNIM, used their professional network and channels (website, social media, newsletters) to invite participants. The survey built on the results of the Horizon Scanning exercise, and the 2nd round incorporated the results from the 1st, so participants could re-evaluate their feedback. The survey provided insight about important, but uncertain areas in the future, while mapping convergent technology areas and emerging issues. The results have been processed by LPRC, and were used to define discussion topics and issues for theVisioning workshop.

The CHPM2030 Visioning workshop brought together Consortium partners (ISOR, VITO, KUL, UNIM, EFG, LPRC (methodology & host), BGS) and external Experts (industry, academia), from both geothermal and mineral sectors. The participant selection was based on constructive contribution in the Delphi survey, and partner’s recommendations. The one-day workshop included an introduction with presentations, two group sessions and a plenary. The group sessions focused on setting up targets related to already identified aspects of the technology (exploration, development, operation, market), based on previous results and expert judgement. The last session was about consensus building, where the facilitators presented the group’s results and an agreement was formed about the established targets. 

The results from the Horizon Scanning exercise, Delphi survey and Visioning workshop have been processed and synthesized into Deliverable 6.1 Report on Emerging and Converging technologies, related to the future of CHPM technology.

Task 6.2 Preparation for pilots

This subtask had three activities in the recent period: finalising the evaluation template, evaluating study areas, and creation of an EU spatial database on prospective locations. 

The first step for this task was the creation of the evaluation template (with the help of BGS, LNEG, IGR, SGU, UNIM, facilitated by LPRC) through online meetings, email communication, field trips and a workshop. This served as a “checklist” for important characteristics to consider when looking into CHPM potential. During the creation of the evaluation strategy, a field trip in Romania was organised by IGR (BGS, UNIM, LPRC, participated), following the previous Cornwall field trip (22-24th of May 2018) organised by BGS. A strong emphasis was given to 3D modelling and to compile all available geological information at one place for reinterpretation.

The 5 study areas from 4 countries have been evaluated according to this new strategy, investigating the CHPM potential. With the help of these study reports and the European outlook study, the following items have been clarified: 1) the information available at each area, 2) the CHPM potential based on this geoscientific data, 3) remaining gaps to be overcome in the future. The evaluated areas are Cornwall in South West England by BGS, Portuguese Iberian Pyrite Belt by LNEG, Beius Basin and Bihor Mountains in Romania by IGR, Nautanen and Kristineberg in Sweden by SGU.

The 5 study areas from 4 countries have been evaluated according to this new strategy, investigating the CHPM potential. With the help of these study reports and the European outlook study, the following items have been clarified: 1) the information available at each area, 2) the CHPM potential based on this geoscientific data, 3) remaining gaps to be overcome in the future. The evaluated areas are Cornwall in South West England by BGS, Portuguese Iberian Pyrite Belt by LNEG, Beius Basin and Bihor Mountains in Romania by IGR, Nautanen and Kristineberg in Sweden by SGU.

The British Geological Survey staff (Paul A J Lusty, Richard B Haslam, Richard A Shaw, Eimear A Deady, Paul Williamson) produced a c. 160 page detailed report on SW England. This worked with information sources reported in WP1, and also new information coming out of the ongoing geothermal investigations in SW England (e.g. the United Downs Deep Geothermal Power project, and also the GWatt project). A detailed reappraisal of the data was undertaken. In summary, the report considered the availability of geoscience information, the geological environment, geothermal characteristics, potential for deep metal enrichment, and technical, environmental, social and regulatory factors that could influence the future development of CHPM extraction technology in the region. Preliminary modelling of the Cornubian Batholith has been undertaken to improve understanding of its properties relevant to geothermal energy development. A regional model was constructed to understand the spatial relationship of key geological parameters. These data was used for the development of two site-scale models that aimed to improve understanding of the fracture network and flow pathways at the reservoir-scale. South-west England, and specifically Cornwall, is an excellent location for a pilot-scale CHPM system. 

The report on the Portuguese Iberian Pyrite Belt (~50 pages), prepared by the Portuguese National Laboratory of Energy and Geology (Elsa Cristina Ramalho, João Xavier Matos, João Gameira Carvalho), evaluated the Variscan metallogenic province, massive sulphide deposits, prospect for deep mineralization for CHPM potential. The study area report provided an update on the geoscientific data and information on SW IPB, 3D modeling (focused on the Neves-Corvo Mine) and geophysical data. The future research programmes should investigate the deeper ore deposits, with 3D/4D modeling, new deep seismics, 3D electromagnetic forward modeling and 3D inversion. The Lombador orebody, which is present at 2-3 km, has the potential to extend the lifetime of the mine with CHPM technology. Strong cooperation with the mining company that is exploiting the mine and the Portuguese government is recommended.

The report from Romania (~80 pages), developed by Geological Institute of Romania (Diana Perșa, Ștefan Marincea, Delia Dumitraș, Cătălin Simion), provided information about the CHPM potential of the Beius Basin (up and running geothermal heating system, Mg skarns, high geothermal potential), and the Bihor Mountains (granodiorite- granite plutonic body related, skarn (Fe, Bo, Bi, Mo, W), vein (Cu, Zn, Pb, sulphides). IGR has also developed a new 3D geological model, compiling all available geoscientific information of the study area. The future recommendations on this area describe new geothermal models (150 Celsius), refraction seismic for the plutonic body and mineral indications and fracture network modeling for understanding reservoir characteristics.

The Swedish report (~70 pages), delivered by Geological Survey of Sweden (Gerhard Schwarz, Benno Kathol, Magnus Ripa, Bo Thunholm, Edward P Lynch, Johan Jönberger), described 2 ore provinces: Kristineberg area (Skellefte district, volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, Zn, Cu, Au), and Nautanen area (Northern Norrbotten district, IOCG, Cu, Fe, Au). The challenges here are the low geothermal gradient, limited information at 5-7 km depth, low permeability and hydraulic conductivity and lack of information about deep-seated fluids. It is recommended that future exploration includes identification of metal bearing formation at crustal depths (seismic velocities, electrical resistivity), 3D/4D modelling, stimulation, involvement of the mining industry and ER regional development funds, achieving public acceptance, among others.

Besides evaluating concrete study areas, the European Federation of Geologist (Domenico Marchese, Anita Demény, Isabel Fernandez) led the European outlook for prospective locations, with the help of the its National Associations that are involved in the project as Linked Third Parties (LTPs). In total there were 24 countries covered: Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Sweden, the United Kingdom. Each National Association had 3 tasks: 1) Area selection: definition of areas most likely to be a future CHPM candidate; 2. Basic area evaluation: the task continued with the evaluation of the basic characteristics of the selected areas; 3) CHPM characteristics: this task considered a deeper investigation and data evaluation of the most likely CHPM sites. EFG and LPRC provided instructions and templates for the LTPs and organised an orientation workshop, so they were full up to date with the task. Through continuous communication with the LTPs, EFG collected the 3 reports for most countries, describing the 3 tasks mentioned above. The result is a selection of areas that has potential for future CHPM application, which has been uploaded to a publicly available spatial database: http://bit.ly/CHPMinfoplatform.

Task 6.3 Roadmapping

This subtask had three future-oriented activities related to 2030 and 2050 time horizons, building different layers of the CHPM roadmap:  1) CHPM component roadmap, 2) Preparation for future Pilots, 3) Overall concept of CHPM. The objective of Task 6.3 was to provide a timeline and direct support for the implementation of CHPM and support breakthrough research. These activities were building on the results of the Task 6.1 and 6.2 and all Partners, AB members and external Experts have been involved in this process. Each layer provided recommendations about how to advance the area and support future pilot implementation. 

The “CHPM component roadmap” provides a direct follow-up of the current technological components, by describing the state-of-the-art (2019: current state of the component, achievements, results during the project, referenced to the relevant deliverable), immediate research plan (2025: next actions, targets to continue the research on the technological component after the project), pilot research plan (2030: requirements of the component before integrating it into a CHPM pilot application), and long term objectives (2050: requirements of the component before integrating it into a CHPM commercial application). The technological components and the researchers working on the roadmap are the following: Integrated reservoir management (Szanyi János, Máté Osvald, Tamás Medgyes, University of Szeged); Metal content mobilization using mild leaching (Christopher Rochelle, BGS); Metal content mobilization with nanoparticles (Steven Mullens, VITO); High-temperature and high-pressure (HTHP) electrolytic metal recovery (Ramasamy Palaniappan, Jan Fransaer, KU Leuven, Xochitl Dominguez-Benetton, VITO); Metal recovery via gas-diffusion electrocrystallization (GDEx), (Xochitl Dominguez-Benetton, VITO); Salinity-gradient power by reverse electrodialysis (SGP-RE) (Joost Helsen, VITO); System integration (Árni Ragnarsson, ISOR).

The “Preparation for future pilots” study investigated the pathway to pilot implementation by 2030, by providing a detailed area description and future recommendations. This task was completed at 5 areas in Europe by their representing partner (Cornwall by BGS, Iberian Pyrite Belt by LNEG, Beius Basin/Bihor Mountains by IGR, Kristineberg and Nautanen by SGU). The recommendations covered 1) future exploration plans for the technological components (getting new geoscientific information, exploration methods and tools to obtain relevant information regarding the technological components (outlined in the evaluation template), 2) funding opportunities (EU funds projects, PPP, private investors, other financing) and 3) Stakeholder engagement (involved parties, end users, stakeholders, policy and regulatory issues).

 “Overall concept of CHPM” study investigated the feasibility of combining geothermal energy and mineral extraction with the use of foresight tools such as Horizon Scanning, Delphi survey and Expert workshops. The emerging issues were split into four main themes (CHPM exploration, development, operation, market). These topics and their subtopics were delivered and refined through the foresight exercises in WP6.

The Roadmapping workshop was the continuation of the Visioning workshop with the involvement of the Consortium partners  and external Experts. The main task of the group work were the validation of previously identified targets (vision) and the backcasting exercise itself (actions). After the workshop, LPRC processed the results, and presented the findings in D6.3, a document about the recommendations on targets, actions, signposts, wildcards linked to exploration, development, operation, and market, including a visualisation for each theme.

The CHPM WP leaders are going to meet one more time at the project review meeting at GeoHub, Brussels in the end of August.

Download and read our reports under the following buttons.

Report on Emerging and Converging Technologies

Report on Pilots (compiled from 5 reports)

Roadmap for 2030 and 2050

Constructing Social Futures conference, Turku

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Constructing Social Futures – Sustainability, Responsibility and Power conference took place between 12-13th of June in Turku, Finland, bringing together the foresight community. The theme was the concept of agency in action and research for futures. ‘Constructing Futures’ emphasizes opportunities and challenges related to the need for building and critically evaluating capabilities necessary for sustainable futures. This conference created a cross-disciplinary platform where participants could meet, share, and discuss new ideas concerning social futures. These two days consisted of keynote lectures, parallel sessions, participatory workshops and chaired poster session, from multidisciplinary topics.

The fist keynote presentation was held by Dr. Ivana Milojević (Metafuture) about the Power for, against, with and within: Futures studies as practice. Ivana’s set the tone for the conference with her passionate talk addressing two central questions: “Can futures studies, as a practice, make a difference?”, and “To what extent are futures being constructed through participation that reflects moral agency and leads to better futures for all?”. The second keynote presentation was given by Professor Ullrich Kockel (Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh) about the Heritage Futures: Tradition, Gain, Sustainability. The afternoon continued with 7 paralel sessions for ~15 minute presentations on topics such as Combining corporate foresight with corporate social responsibility and Citizen science, power, responsibility and foresight.

LPRC was represented by Tamas Miklovicz, who gave a presentation about the Application of foresight methods in the research of a disruptive geothermal technology (CHPM), in the session on Foresight activities and their effect on sustainability transitions. The presentation was focusing on the methodological aspect of how to make use of foresight tools for such a challenging technology. The presentation was well received and participants appreciated the robust methodology behind the CHPM roadmapping process. You can have a look at Tamas’s presentation in  the video below:

The second day continued with sessions and workshops on topics like Back to the futures we want: Envisioning and backcasting for Sustainable futures, and Utopias to combat futures by-negation, and The roles of futures studies in the negotiation of values and desired futures. The event was concluded with two keynote presentations. First Professor Keri Facer talked about All our futures? Climate change, democracy and missing public spaces. The second was given by Professor Ted Fuller On responsible futures: What can we do, what should we do?

All keynote speakers were donated a ~3 hectare peatland in Finland. Peatlands are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store, and among the most important ecosystems on Earth*, also helping us to reduce carbon footprint of the anthropocene.

You can read the Book of Abstract here and you may rediscover the event on Twitter following the #futuresconference2019.

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The Futures Conference 2019 was very inspiring! Many great ideas have been shared, discussed and agreed about building a more sustainable future. After the conference, arriving home, the real question remains: are we going to plant these seeds into our everyday life to nurture a sustainable future? We all hope that we do indeed, throughout our everyday decisions.

*https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/peatlands-and-climate-change