DUBROVNIK INTERNATIONAL ESEE MINING SCHOOL

DIM ESEE2 Spin-off workshop for students successfully held in Leoben (9th – 11th April)

The third and final Spin-off workshop for master and Ph.D. students was successfully implemented in Leoben, Austria from the 9th to the 11th of April 2024. The topic of Innovation in Extraction covered innovations in mechanical extraction methods, drill and blast extraction, and sustainable extraction practices. This workshop was organised jointly by the Montan University of Leoben (MUL) and the University of Zagreb, the Faculty of Mining, Geology, and Petroleum Engineering (UNIZG-RGNF), the DIM ESEE 2 project coordinator.

This is a follow-up workshop on the Innovation in Extraction workshop for professionals which was held in Dubrovnik last year (18th to 20th October) at the Interuniversity Center. The main purpose of Spin-off workshops is to increase the number of young professionals with innovative skills in the RM industry, by ensuring the transfer of knowledge and skills from experienced professionals from the industry and research sector, which is a positive example of university-business collaboration and a valuable impact in the ESEE region in RM sector.

The workshop`s programme and lecturers were provided by project partner MUL. During the first day of the workshop, students learned about mechanical, drill and blast, and sustainable extraction practices, starting from digitalization and its importance in mining processes to innovations in mechanical cutting to new technologies developed and specialized for narrow reef mining to sustainability and smart mining considering microorganisms.

On the second day, the students visited Sandvik manufacturing company in Zeltweg where they learned all about disc undercutting technology and had an opportunity to see a machine for mechanical rock cutting in action.

At Zentrum am Berg Research Center on the third day, they learned about the Innovative rock haulage system and received an open pit tour and an underground mine tour in Erzberg. Erzberg mine is the biggest reserve of mine ore in Austria.

The site visit to Sandvik company and Erzberg mine provided them firsthand insight into all stages of the working processes and a glimpse of trends, innovations, and the future of the mining sector.