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Aktuelles

September 2020 – European Raw Materials Alliance kickoff meeting

Peter Moser (Vice-rector of Montanuniversität Leoben was invited to the European Raw Materials Alliance kickoff meeting to give the commitee members a perspective from a research point of view:

“The European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) is the first action of the Critical Raw Materials Action Plan of the European Commission. Research and development can play a vital role in the implementation of this by developing the necessary knowledge and theoretical frameworks that the approaches are based on, such as we have done in the past, like design of value chains, material efficiency of final products, etc. This initiative is highly appreciated and needed, however, systemically it is clear that in the future this alliance must expand its scope beyond building resilience for only value chains of specific materials. Society is undergoing a massive transformation currently, a transformation that needs to be successful for future generations to be able to meet their needs and live in favourable ecological conditions. This means that we cannot tackle challenges in our old conventional ways but that we need to transform our systems. Innovative technologies and change of human behaviour are the basis for meeting the ambitious climate targets of the Green Deal and the implementation of the sustainable development goals. In the following I will address the necessary research and development needs as a pre-requisite for this transformation because the kind of challenges we are facing are entirely new and we need new flexible and systemic ways to react to them. On the one hand, we need to create the knowledge basis for innovative technologies, alternative societal systems and responsible human behaviour. On the other hand, we also need to address the transformative needs of the R&D system itself to be fit for tackling these societal challenges effectively. Successful R&D in this context grows in a suitable biotope that we have to form – a biotope that attracts the most talented and creative researchers and provides them with a working environment where enthusiasm and inspiration is promoted, and stronger than the frustration from the frequent lack of R&D resources and bureaucracy.

In a nutshell:

  • we urgently need more enthusiastic visionary people and
  • we need sufficient resources for researchers to work efficiently and effectively
  • we need simplicity and less bureaucracy

In terms of people it is necessary that education and research work closely and in synergy so that our long-term human capacity needs are met. In terms of funding it is essential to provide stable and long-term funding frameworks to promote effective and visionary R&D environments. In terms of simplicity and low bureaucracy it is important to rethink how funding frameworks work. It is crucial to have uniform, simple and aligned rules across different frameworks.

The three ingredients for creating a suitable R&D biotope itself are:

  • First: The acknowledgement, awareness and conception that R&D is a solution provider for meeting the ambitious climate targets. This means that industry needs to be committed on a much higher level in the future to participate in R&D and long-term invest in it. Furthermore, we need to promote the image of the researcher as an indispensable puzzle piece of today’s challenges.
  • Second: The acknowledgement, awareness and conception that economic growth has planetary boundaries and that new technologies and societal systems build the basis for what we call resources and impact de-coupling, as conceptualized in the SDGs. We need to directly link the question of raw materials production to the question of raw materials consumption. Therefore, we have to evaluate the value of technologies not only from an economic perspective but also from an ecologic point of view. This takes systemic approaches which is only possible through massive interdisciplinary collaboration.
  • Third: The acknowledgement, awareness and conception that we need to adapt and transform our R&D approaches and systems to make them more flexible and stable and thus fit for the challenges we are tackling.

In such type of new approaches and systems we have to implement much more the idea of short-term path finder projects, which upon success are followed by long term initiatives. A good first example in this direction is the European University initiative where a three-year starting period is followed by a long-term period of 10plus years of fixed financing, an approach that really promotes depth and excellence.

In conclusion, the societal transformation can be achieved on the basis of

  • a visionary research agenda,
  • enthusiastic and innovative researchers,
  • a supportive organisational research framework and
  • collaboration across sectors.”

Find the ERMA Agenda here

Sustainable Carbon Supply and Energy Mining

Sustainable Carbon Supply and Energy Mining based on Methane decomposition is seen as a major contribution to a future carbon footprint reduction while maintaining a sustainable supply with raw materials and green energy. Natural gas is the fossil fuel containing the least impurities with an estimated global resource of around 800 trillion m³. Although the composition of natural gas can vary to some extent, its primary component is methane, CH4. By endothermic decomposition (methane pyrolysis) methane can be split into its components carbon  and hydrogen (H2) where especially hydrogen is of interest as a future alternative for various industrial applications. Additionally, there is a high potential for various large-scale applications of carbon, especially in construction and agriculture, if the carbon is available at a lower price than from presently available resources.

Find out more here!

September 2020 – RM@School teaser video

We proudly present our new teaser video for RM@Schools. RM@Schools is a Wider Society Learning project funded by the EIT, focused on an innovative program to make science education and careers in RM attractive for youngsters. An active learning approach will be proposed to schools through RM Ambassadors by involving students in experiments with RM-related hands-on and digital educational toolkits, in excursions to industries, and in science dissemination activities. Apply here

July 2020 – Become a part of the EnAct-SDGs Network

The EnAct-SDGs project aims to create a dynamic network of universities, research institutes, industry and professionals to develop a roadmap to a modernised education. The project aims to promote innovation and new skills for sustainable development among the East and Southeast Europe (ESEE) university graduates and raw materials professionals.

The EnAct-SDGs project is looking for stakeholders from the Raw Materials Knowledge Triangle, primarily from the RIS eligible countries, that would like to join the EnAct-SDGs network and actively participate in the project’s activities.

Find the Call here: EnAct-SDGs website

July 2020 – The Journey summer school moves on

The Climate-KIC The Journey Summer School is Europe’s largest climate innovation summer school for graduates and young professionals. The Journey is usually a 4-week full time programme. Participants visit 3 of the 25 locations involved around Europe, focused on climate action, innovation, systems transformation and community building.

This year „The Journey“ was held online with a multi-channel setup and a hands-on toolkit provided to every participant.

As we finish our second week of this year’s „The Journey“ we would like to say goodbye to our dear participants. We hope to welcome you in Leoben in person soon!

September 2020 – EnActSDG´s Summer School

EnActSDG´s Summer school is a three days hands-on webinar on Innovation & Entrepreneurship for the Raw Materials industry. The programme is driven by the sustainability development goals and circular economy principles. Students will tackle on challenges proposed by the Industry to generate new business ideas and improve existing solutions; they will acquire new skills, learn to use new tools and develop a new mindset that will help building up their careers as innovation professionals.
The programme curriculum is provided by TU Freiberg, Montanuniversität Leoben, University of Trento and Hub Innovation Trentino, partners of ENACT project.
In this Pilot School students from TUKE, AGH and NTUA will participate as well as other students from the ESEE region.

Apply here

RIC Leoben Booklet 2020

We put a lot of effort into creating a booklet for our partners and for new interested parties. We wanted to distribute it this year but here we are with travel restrictions and lots of online meetings. Nevertheless you can view it online! Enjoy, All the best from the RIC Leoben Team

July 2020 – SafeDeepMining

We are proud to see a publication in the International Mining magazine about our SafeDeepMining project. Visit http://www.safedeepmining.eu/ for course information and keep up the good work!

April 2020 – EnActSDGs

Im Rahmen des Projektes „EnActSDGs“ zielen wir, auf die Verbesserung der Fähigkeiten von Studierenden im Hinblick auf die Erreichung der Nachhaltigkeitsziele im Rohstoffbereich in Österreich und international – vor allem aber in den ESEE Regionen (East and South East Europe) ab. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, brauchen wir Sie und Ihre Meinung als ExpertIn. Dafür bitten wie Sie, eine kurze Umfrage zu beantworten. Selbstverständlich werden Ihre Angaben mit höchster Vertraulichkeit behandelt und anonymisiert ausgewertet.
Ihre Meinung kann ein wesentlicher Beitrag zu einer noch hochwertigeren Ausbildung und somit zur Qualitätssteigerung für den gesamten Rohstoffsektor sein. Darüber hinaus besteht die Möglichkeit das Unternehmen sowohl öffentlich wirksamer, als auch für Studierende zugänglich zu machen, beispielweise mit Vorträgen, Praktika, finanzierten Industrieprojekten oder finanzierten Projekten in der Grundlagenforschung.

Weitere Informationen finden Sie auf folgender Homepage. Dort finden Sie alle notwendigen Informationen wie die DSGVO, Ziele und Zweck des Projektes, als auch die Möglichkeit, sich dem Projekt und dem Netzwerk anzuschließen und somit Informationen über Ergebnisse und Veranstaltungen zu erhalten.

April 2020 – ESEE Education Initiative und Working Group

Seit der Entstehung der ESEE Education Working Group 2018 ist die Montanuniversität durch das RIC Leoben vertreten. In diesem Jahr wurde damit begonnen eine ESEE Education Concept Note zu entwerfen, welche 2019 fertig gestellt wurde. Die Concept Note zeigt die Vision der Working Group durch Weiterentwicklung der Bildungsmaßnahmen in der ESEE Region Innovationen im Rohstoffsektor voranzutreiben. Als Folge wurde die ESEE Education Initiative gegründet und Projekte wurden im Sinne der ESEE Education Concept Note geplant und ausgeführt. Die Zusammenarbeit im Team und das Networking der Gruppe waren sehr erfolgreich und lieferten einige Ergebnisse zu den Zielen der ESEE Education Working Group wie auch positive Entwicklungen für die Montanuniversität. So entstanden zum Bespiel neue Kooperationen und es kam zum erfolgreichen Einreichen von Projektanträgen. 2020 kam es zu einer Erneuerung der Working Group und durch RIC Leoben wurde die Teilnahme erfolgreich verlängert. Wir freuen uns auf eine verlängerte, erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit.

März 2020 – 2ter Praxisworkshop zu Treibhausgas-Bilanzierung

Am 3. März 2020 fand an der TU Graz ein WS zur CO2-Bilanzierung an österreichischen Universitäten und Fachhochschulen statt. Da das RIC Leoben im Zuge dieses Projektes der Allianz Nachhaltige Universitäten eine C02-Bilanz der MUL erstellt, wurde dieser WS genutzt und sich mit dem ClimCalc Tool vertraut zu machen und sich bezüglich des Prozesses der Datensammlung mit Vertreter*innen anderer Universitäten auszutauschen.

März 2020 – Treffen der Allianz Nachhaltige Universitäten

Am 6.März 2020 fand das 27. ExpertenInnentreffen der Allianz Nachhaltige Universitäten Österreich an der WU Wien statt. Als Vertreterin der MUL in der Allianz nahm RIC Leoben Mitarbeiterin Anna Meyer an dem Treffen teil und stellte aktuelle Aktivitäten und Pläne des RIC im Bezug auf Nachhaltigkeit an der Montanuniversität vor. Zusätzlich kam es zu einem regen Austausch unter den Allianzuniversitäten und einer Diskussion zur Verantwortung und Vordenkerinnenrolle der Universitäten in Bezug auf Nachhaltigkeit. Eine Präsentation der Green WG Challenges der Paris Lodron Universität, die Studierende Aufgaben zum Thema „nachhaltiges Leben“ lösen lassen, rundete das Treffen ab.

März 2020 – #Rohstoffwende

Wie machen wir Österreich durch eine neue Rohstoffstrategie fit für die Zukunft?

Am 4. März 2020 lud die AG Rohstoffe, ein Zusammenschuss von verschiedenen österreichischen NGOs, ein um über eine neue Rohstoffstrategie zu diskutieren. Letztes Jahr beschloss die österreichische Bundesregierung die Erarbeitung einer „Integrierten Österreichischen Rohstoffstrategie“. Die derzeitige Strategie fußt vor allem auf der Versorgungssicherheit der österreichischen Wirtschaft. Die neue integrierte Rohstoffstrategie soll ökologische und soziale Aspekte, sowie die Kreislaufwirtschaft als Rahmenmodel heranziehen. Die nun geplante Überarbeitung der Rohstoffstrategie soll in einem Beteiligungsprozess stattfinden und dies wir von den NGOs durchwegs positiv aufgenommen. Um den Dialog zu starten wurden einige Vertreter aus Regionen eingeladen, die über ihre Erfahrungen mit regionalem Rohstoffabbau und -verarbeitung und den verbundenen Konsequenzen berichteten. Abgerundet wurde die Veranstaltung durch eine Podiumsdiskussion zu nötigen Schritten, die die Politik leisten kann.

January 2020 – Expert Forum: Digitalisation in the Raw Materials Sector

The Expert Forum on digitalization in the Raw Materials Sector, organised by EIT RawMaterials with Montanunversität Leoben and supported by KGHM Cuprum, gathered over 100 stakeholders, from policymakers, industry, research and higher education partners to start-up entrepreneurs and students, to discuss the latest digital trends in the sector. We see digitalisation as a key enabler in the transition to sustainable development. Data and smart digital solutions are essential to optimise and re-invent processes along the entire value chain, as well as act as a link and conduit with all stakeholders, from industry to NGO, from university to wider society.

November 2019 – Raw Materials Week

The fourth edition of the EU „Raw Materials Week“ took place from Monday 18 to Friday 22 November 2019, in Brussels.

It builds up on a series of events organised by the European Commission addressing the latest news on raw materials in the EU.

It was a unique opportunity for the raw materials community to discuss and exchange on all relevant issues: policy, technology, international cooperation, framework conditions, knowledge base etc.

Click Read More to watch the video of the 2019 Raw Materials Week

Become a certified Trainer for the EIT RawMaterials – Professional School!

Are you an expert? Then shape the future of your field of expertise and become a certified trainer for the EIT innovation community “RawMaterials”! Get your ideas off the ground and infuse the industry with your innovations. If you already are a lecturer or trainer or you have valuable knowledge that needs to be taught to a wider audience of industry representatives or researchers, we provide the framework for your teaching ideas and make you part of our innovation community. We need your ideas for the courses of tomorrow! In our 2nd call we invite you to provide your training ideas on the focus topics of „Sustainable Minerals“ and „Metal Processing“! Your ideas for other topics for short courses are also very welcome. -Register here

Montanuniversität Leoben is part of the MIREU Network

The European project MIREU aims to establish a network of mining and metallurgy regions across Europe, that will help the regions to share knowledge and experiences when facing the challenge to ensure a sustained and sustainable supply of mineral raw materials to the EU.

As mining projects are carried out at regional and local levels, regions are key actors in ensuring a continued supply of mineral raw materials to the European economy. The MIREU project will bring together mining and metallurgy regions from across Europe to work together on improving the conditions for sustainable access and supply of raw materials in the EU. The MIREU consortium is comprised of 30 partners of which 17 are regions from all around Europe.

 

 

For more information visit the MIREU website.

 

 

 

February 2019 – The Call for a RIS Task partner is open!

We would like to inform about a call for a RIS Task partner in the project ESEE Education Initiative.
From its very start educational activities have been a major concern of the EIT. The EIT has always underlined the role of high and entrepreneurial skills as drivers of innovation. A basic assumption underpinning the educational activities of the EIT is that human capital development is at the heart of approaches to fostering growth and creating jobs. Therefore, addressing these overarching goals using education as a toll an ESEE Education strategy has been created that focuses on education and capacity building in the ESEE region.
The program integrates education, business, wider society and any other potential innovation stakeholder through developing and deploying innovative pilot programs lead by local universities in the RIS region. The program shall involve local industry and SMEs and transfer best practices to the region from other KICs or regions of Europe. The overall goal is to establish a system of programs maintaining and supporting EIT RM RIS Action Line II activities by closing the gaps in terms of educational excellence in EIT RIS-eligible countries and regions, taking the proposing and coordinating initiative – and initiate knowledge transfer from KIC members from non-EIT RIS-eligible countries towards those and increasing visibility of and awareness about the EIT.
Non-KIC member organisations in RIS countries can be involved as Third Parties (so called „RIS Task partners“) in RIS projects. RIS Task partners in ESEE Education Initiative may be any legal entity from Bosnia and Herzegovina with teaching activity in a field at least one below:

1. Exploration and raw materials resource assessment
2. Mining in challenging environments
3. Increased resource efficiency in mineral and metallurgical processes
4. Recycling and material chain optimisation for End-of-Life products
5. Substitution of critical and toxic materials in products and for optimised performance
6. Design of products and services for the circular economy

The call was announced on 15th of February, 2019 and applications (RIS Task Partners Application Form) must be submitted to anja.meier@unileoben.ac.at by 8th of March, 2019, 23:59 CET.

Full Call Text

 

Oktober 2018 – Das EIT RawMaterials besucht die Vojvodina Region in Serbien

Im Zuge der ESEE (East & South East Europe) Strategie des Regional Center (RC) Leoben besuchte Anna Meyer die EIT Cross KIC RIS Dialog Konferenz in Novi Sad. Das Event bot die Möglichkeit sich über alle KICs (Knowledge und Innovation Communities des EIT RawMaterials) zu informieren. Durch die Zusammenarbeit von EIT RawMaterials, EIT Health, EIT Climate KIC, EIT Digital, EIT InnoEnergy und EIT Food entstand ein wertvolles Event durch das sich die Türen des EIT nach Serbien eröffneten.

EIT Cross KIC RIS Dialog Konferenz in Novi Sad kann als direktes Resultat der vom RC Leoben organisierten siebenten ESEE Dialog Konferenz am 16.11.2017 in Belgrad verstanden werden. Bei der Konferenz in Belgrad wurden wichtige Verbindungen zwischen dem Regionalsekretariat für Wirtschaft und Tourismus der Vojvodina Region und dem EIT RawMaterials hergestellt. Diese Verbindungen führten schließlich zu der EIT Cross KIC RIS Dialog Konferenz in Novi Sad. Somit kann es als erfolgreiche Umsetzung der ESEE Strategie des RC Leoben verbucht werden, dass sich die Reichweite des EIT RawMaterials sowie des EIT nach Serbien erweitert.

September 2018 – Das Economic Development Boards Singapore besucht die Montanuniverstät Leoben

Herr Lee und Frau Sun, zwei Abgesandte des Economic Development Board Singapore (EDB), besuchten am 21.09.2018 die Montanuniversität Leoben. Ziel des Treffens war ein Kennenlernen und Austauschen von Forschungs- und Entwicklungsinteressen. Vizerektor Moser lud Vertreter der Universität und assoziierter Kompetenzzentren ins Sitzungszimmer des Rektorates um die Vertreter von EDB zu treffen. Eine Reihe auf die Interessen des EDB zugeschnittenen Vorträge stellten die Kompetenzen der Montanuniversität im besten Licht dar. Folgende Lehrstühle und Kompetenzzentren präsentierten sich und ihre Forschungsaktivitäten:

  • Raul Bermejo, Chair of Structural and Functional Ceramics
  • Michael Tkadletz, Chair of Functional Materials and Materials
  • Ewald Fauster, Department Polymer Engineering and Science, Chair of Processing of Composites
  • Susanne Feiel, Anna Meyer, International Office and Resources Innovation Center (RIC)
  • Megan Cordill, Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science Leoben
  • Günter Maier, Materials Center Leoben (MCL)
  • Elisabeth Ladstätter, Polymer Competence Center Leoben (PCCL)

Beiderseitiges Interesse und einige Möglichkeiten zur Kooperation besiegelten einen gelungenen Austausch.

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