We are very glad that Robert Obenaus-Emler was officially appointed Head of the Resources Innovation Center by the Rectorate of the Montanuniversität Leoben on 14 March 2024.
At the same time, the RIC Leoben was confirmed as one of the seven “Clusters of Excellence” at the research centre of the University.
The DIM ESEE 2023 Innovation workshop 18 – 20 October 2023 was again held in Dubrovnik/Croatia.
We enjoyed high-quality lectures from multiple experts in the field of raw materials, great networking and innovative ideas for the future in mining.
This year, the scientific program was organised by the RIC Leoben team, including topics related to digitalization and data processing, underground and surface mineral extraction, and robotics in mining. Additionally, industry experts from Austin Powder, Dok-Ing, Epiroc, and Sandvik provided fascinating insights into the future of mineral extraction.
More details: https://dim-esee.eu/
Mariaelena joined RIC Leoben in October 2019, as the Education Portfolio Manager. She holds a Master degree in Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. She worked as a Senior Lecturer at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (NL) for 17 years specialising in the Management discipline, also with a focus on cultural competences through the development and involvement in learning labs. Currently, her focus is on further developing the RIC Education Competence Center and managing the team’s portfolio of EIT and Erasmus projects. One the main responsibilities is to (co)create and maintain partnerships and projects that implement new teaching & learning pathways that foster a trans-disciplinary approach in connecting research, education, business and society for the future of T-shaped raw material engineers.
Mineral potential of the ESEE region
The RESEERVE project extends the geographical reach of EIT RawMaterials to the ESEE region, help disseminate the knowledge and know-how of the EIT Community, facilitate developing new markets for new technologies, create opportunities for start-ups and SMEs and contribute to new job opportunities. The main outcome of the project will be a register of available primary and secondary mineral resources data of the West Balkan region.
The RESEERVE project targets the following 6 countries of the West Balkan, which are of particular strategic interest for the European raw materials sector: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The West Balkan region is considered to be one of the future potential mineral supply areas of Europe, but access to relevant data for investors is still limited in the region.
Duration: 04/2018 – 11/2021
Partner: Montanuniversität Leoben (Chair of Nonferrous Metallurgy), Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), Croatian Geological Survey (HGI-CGS) – Hrvatski geološki institute, DMT GmbH & Co. KG, Geological Survey of Albania, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Geological Survey of Montenegro (GSM), Geological Survey of Slovenia (GeoZS), Geological Survey of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Geological Survey of the Republic of Srpska, National Technical University of Athens – NTUA, University of Belgrade – Faculty of Mining & Geology (UNIBG-RGF), University of Zagreb
Professional Development for Engineers of Tomorrow
Duration: 06/2021 – 10/2023
The RIC Education Team has been awarded for the first time in 2021 a funding proposal for the “Programmatic Partnership between Kosovan and Austrian Institutions” in the framework of HERAS+ – Higher Education, Research and Applied Science plus”. The main objective of the project “Professional development for engineers of tomorrow -PDET” is to improve the employability and entrepreneurship of graduates of the University of Mitrovica “Isa Boletini”. Kosovar youth are currently facing challenges in finding a job, while companies complain that graduates do not have the necessary skills to succeed in a particular industry. The gap between academic training at universities and the labor market is obvious and undeniable. The current project would address this problem through the establishment and functionalization of the UMIB Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Creation, and provide annual training programs that target two key issues facing college graduates. The first is to provide graduates with the soft skills required in the work environment and the second is to provide training in entrepreneurial skills.
The project was launched in Mitrovica in September 2022. In the first step of the work, a labor market analysis will be carried out together with the UMIB team in order to match the content of the workshops and trainings, which will be created based on these results, with the needs of the industry.