MINE.THE.GAP is an INNOSUP project which provides direct funding to SMEs as an innovation support. Its main instrument is open calls which can be seen as miniature H2020 open calls with far less bureaucracy for a grant up to 50.000€ per beneficiary. Through the open calls, MINE.THE.GAP brings SMEs from the raw materials sector together with companies that have solutions for a more digital, greener, and circular raw materials value chain.
Its second open call will be launched on 10 January 2022. As with reference to the composition of the GREENPEG consortium companies from Germany, Portugal and Spain are eligible to apply, we see this as a funding opportunity for those GREENPEG partners originating from these countries. In addition, as MINE.THE.GAP funds R&I projects at TRL 6-8, we regarded this as a clustering opportunity for GREENPEG. Therefore, this Info-Webinar is jointly held by MINE.THE.GAP and GREENPEG together with AXELERA (chemical cluster from France), IDiA (digital cluster from Spain) and ETPSMR (European Technology Platform on Sustainable Mineral Resources).
Here you can find the agenda for more information.
If you would like to participate, please register for the Info-Webinar here. If you encounter any troubles, please contact Mrs. Meng-Chun Lee (mengchun.lee@gkz-ev.de) for registration.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Info-Webinar!
GREENPEG project has been selected to participate in the EU Innovation Radar, an initiative to collect structured data about the innovation profile of EU funded projects and their outputs. The Innovation Radar is a European Commission initiative to identify high potential innovations and innovators in EU-funded research and innovation projects. The goal of this is to identify high-potential innovators and innovations; their specific ‘go to market’ needs; and, provide targeted recommendations. The aim is ultimately to encourage and support innovators in getting their innovations 'out of the lab' and into (or at least closer to) the market. You can find more information on this initiative in this link. The Innovation Radar is a complementary tool to the Horizon Results Platform. GREENPEG innovations in terms of technology development are seen in the introduction of the first EU certified helicopter nose stinger for district and prospect scale exploration, the piezoelectric seismometer as the only geophysical method which addresses the piezoelectric effect as a petrophysical characteristic to detect buried quartz-rich ore bodies, which commonly have indistinct low magnetic and radiogenic responses, and new drone-borne hyperspectral imaging tools for mapping small scale deposits.
One of the most promising mining developments in Europe is taking place on the Koralpe near Wolfsberg in Austria: Lithium mineral spodumene hosted by pegmatites which - processed on site - can one day serve a significant share of the needs of European battery factories. The first of three GREENPEG Focus Group Meetings took place here with a tour and a themed workshop at GREENPEG partner European Lithium Ltd. Several science journalists and representatives from the specialist administration in Germany accepted our invitation. The meeting focused on the topic of securing raw materials for the energy transition as well as future technologies and the contribution that European mining can make here. As well as the discussion with the guests on questions of raw material awareness and the understanding of mining in society in the context of regional value chains and global socio-economic challenges. Both sides rated the meeting as a great benefit and the cooperation is to be expanded in the future with the participation of other stakeholders. The next GREENPEG Focus Group Meeting will take place in northern Spain in autumn 2022.
The first GREENPEG field season came to completion at the Wolfsberg demonstration site (Austria) at the end of September with the application of regional geochemical sampling to the mineral quartz from lithium-bearing and associated barren pegmatites. The trace element signatures of the quartz samples and their prospect (<25 km2) to district-scale (25-500 km2) distribution will reveal regional chemical zoning of the pegmatite field (previously only possible by costly drilling or blasting of pegmatite bodies). Trace elements in quartz from pegmatites are indicative of the economic potential of the ore and allow for vectoring towards areas of highest ore potential. This geochemical exploration method was developed in 2015 by the GREENPEG coordinator (Müller, A., et al. 2015, Economic Geology 110, pp. 137-157). Quartz analysis via laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry will be performed over the winter season.
Tranøy, September 2020
The first GREENPEG field season was on the Tysfjord demonstration site, testing a set of helicopter-borne, drone-borne and ground based exploration techniques on high-purity-quartz-bearing pegmatite type occurrences. The testing revealed that for the Tysfjord area these type of raw material (RM) occurrences have specific gamma ray signature, which can be useful to delineate the lateral extension of near surface pegmatite. Complementary ground-borne georadar and geoelectric measurements were carried out to study potential signatures in the data, confining host rock and pegmatites. Drone-borne ortho photography was acquired to facilitate a high-resolution transfer of all data and interpretation in a 3D view. We also tested gravimetric and magnetic methods to investigate potential petrophysical contrasts between RM material and wall rock. Data processing and evaluation is ongoing.