RAW MATERIAL university days
“Enhancing the development of the mining regions”
2-3 November 2015,
Rovaniemi Finland
Introduction
Mining provides the building blocks for human development. The supply of metal and mineral products has underpinned human endeavour through millennia and will continue to play its role in meeting society’s needs. Fortunately, the geological supply of metals and minerals within the Earth remains robust and new technologies will help bring new deposits on stream. Furthermore, these resources will increasingly be located in the more remote regions and deeper in the crust, thus raising production and investment costs.
Resource efficient production of the raw materials and increasing the self-sufficient in the critical minerals production are important to enhance the competitiveness of the EU’s industry. To implement the actions in this field, the regions with mineral resources in EU will have a strategically important role. European Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials is seeking a systematic approach to support the development of the mining sector, which contributes to the sustainable development of the mining regions and creating growth, jobs and generates new SME industries.
European regions will have a vital importance in the implementation of the European Innovation partnership on Raw materials, as the key players in the raw material policy and best places to address raw materials challenges. Synergic approaches involving the regional development policies and objectives of the European Innovation partnership on Raw Materials will provide benefit for the different stakeholders involved in the mining industry. In this context, the role of the universities is essential as they make available multidisciplinary skills, knowledge and research activities needed for the sustainable development.
Research has proven that raw material industry is lacking skilled and environmentally consciousness younger employees. The challenges between the education and labour market will be narrowed by promoting anticipation of future skills related to sustainable raw material industry in the regions. Universities and regions will need to work together to match the skills and labour market needs.
According to Juncker investment plan (€ 315 billion, EFSI), investments will be partly allocated to environmentally sustainable projects and to the fields of education, research and innovation. This means that regions of EU with sustainable mining strategy and environmentally sustainable raw material industry with investment plans are in scope of EFSI. As well it also supports the VP Katainen’s strategy for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness.
“Raw Materials University Day – Enhancing the development of the mining regions” – conference is bringing universities, regional stakeholders, mining industry and SMEs to same network to support sustainable mining and regional development
Objectives of the forum
• To bring together regional, university and mining industry representatives
• To support the implementation of the sustainable mining in the regions
• To share experiences on good collaboration between the regions, universities, mining industry and other stakeholders
• To discuss the practices which strengthen the synergic approaches l
• To initiate collaboration actions
Topics of the forum
• Good mining diplomacy at the regional level
• Social licensing
• Regional S3 and mining
• Synergic funding
Target groups:
• Regional authorities involved in the implementation of S3
• Researchers, developers and students from the universities
• Development agencies
• Mining industry