The University of Miskolc, together with international partners, had initiated a dialogue and conference series to discuss strategic challenges related to the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources. The first event of the Conference Series was organized on the 28th of November, 2024, at the University of Miskolc, with a special focus on Sustainable Raw Materials Supply and the challenges and problems linked to the adoption of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). The event provided a great opportunity for cooperation and dialogue between all stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem – politicians, researchers, and industrial partners – at the international level.

In the scope of EIT RawMaterials project PRO-SLO, we have opened the Call for applications for all PhD students interested in the topic of Social Licence to Operate (SLO). You can apply here by 15th December 2024 (the latest).

The programme will take part online and on-site:

  1. On-line part: 3-7 February 2025; programme below (basic SLO principles and terminology from various perspectives)
  2. On-site part: 7-11 of April 2025; Adriatic Metals, Vareš, Bosnia and Herzegovina (students will be assigned with the specific Case- Study for which they will have to develop a methodology to obtain SLO)

Between the two parts, in the interval period, online mentorship meetings will take place between lecturers and students in order to process the material from the online part and prepare better for the on-site part.

After the completion of PRO-SLO PhD school, the student will know and understand:

  • The concept, principles and business case for a SLO in the mining industry, and the risks involved in ignoring the importance of a social license.
  • The nature and dynamics of the stakeholder network, the role of social capital, and how to interact with communities to establish a legitimate SLO.
  • Organised: UNIZG-RGNF, UM, EIT RawMaterials
  • Location: Lecture room INA-ground floor VP02, RGNF, Pierottijeva 6, HR-10 000 Zagreb / hybrid
  • Date: Monday – Tuesday, 28-29/10/2024

LINK to the GoTo Meeting will be sent to participants that register:

Goals

  1. Improving awareness on the EIT, EIT RawMaterials, EIT Alumni, RawMaterials Academy and labelled master programmes
  2. Inclusion of the TIMREX students and staff to the EIT support programmes for students-entrepreneurs
  3. Linking the UNIZG staff and students with existing innovation infrastructure (Nuqleus)

Target groups

  1. TIMREX students and academic staff
  2. BSc students from Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering and Geology
  3. All students and staff of the UNIZG-RGNF and UNIZG

Programme

28 October 2024

Moderator: Sibila Borojević Šoštarić

Time Content
11:50 – 12:20
– Gathering of the participants
– Networking coffee and snacks
12:20 – 12:30
Welcoming words:
– assoc. prof. Vladislav Brkić, dean of the UNIZG-RGNF
– prof. Ferenc Madai, TIMREX programme coordinator
12:30 – 13:30
EIT labelled master programmes and activities, Benjamin Maloney, Education Manager, EIT RawMaterials:
– Who we are (EIT/EIT RawMaterials)
– RawMaterials Academy
– EIT Alumni
– Overview of the EIT labelled master programmes
– From student to entrepreneur with support of the EIT (EIT programmes for students entrepreneurs)
– Schedule of the EIT academy activities
13:30 – 14:30
Innovation infrastructure at the University of Zagreb, Deni Nurkić, deep-tech venture builder Nuqleus
– What is deep-tech and what is our role in that sector?
– What is intellectual property (IP) and how to commercialize it?
– From idea to validation and beyond (through Nuqleus)
– Practical examples of research commercialization
– Synergy with EIT programmes
14:30 – 15:00
Q&A Conclusions (Sibila Borojević Šoštarić)
15:00 – 16:00
Light lunch & Networking
16:00 – 17:00
Laboratory and mineralogical collections tour (RGNF)

29 October 2024

Hald-day field trip: Sibila Borojević Šoštarić & Ana Maričić

Time Content
8:00 – 8:30
Gathering of the participants and departure from the RGNF building, Pierottijeva 6, HR-10 000 Zagreb
08:30 – 12:00
Field trip – St Barbara Mine near Samobor
12:00 – 14:00
Field lunch & Returning trip
14:00 –
End of the programme

The TIMREX consortium had the opportunity to meet in person for the yearly Steering Committee meeting held in Wroclaw, Poland, in hybrid mode, allowing online participation as well. The event took place on 27-28 June 2024, hosted by the partner Wroclaw University of Science and Technology.

The event was initiated with welcome words and practicalities by the coordinator Ferenc Mádai (University of Miskolc), followed by the overview of the agenda and the objectives of the meeting. After that, all partners engaged in discussions about administrative topics and workplan with regards to the different components of the TIMREX programme.

The latest editions of the Summer School and Applied Field Exploration course were presented, including the feedback provided by the participating students, followed by discussions on how to improve them for the upcoming cohort. The Exploration entrepreneurship course, a strong entrepreneurial component of TIMREX programme, was presented.

After that, the partners overviewed the thesis topics of the students and their internship activities as TIMREX students. The purpose of this section was to monitor the academic progress of the students, and to plan the necessary actions to fulfill the objectives of the study programme.

The issue with regards to the upcoming third cohort were also discussed, in order to evaluate the statistics and lessons learned from previous cohorts.

Finally, the partners engaged in discussing the targets to be met in the near future and to assess the possibilities to extend the partnership for additional years.

The 6th edition of the Applied Field Exploration course comprised 3 geophycisists from Boliden and 20 students from Luleå University of Technology, University of Miskolc, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology and University of Zagreb / Sveučilište u Zagrebu, as part of the TIMREX programme.

After 3 days of mapping, the students have already mapped out several structures, stratigraphic units and alteration zones of interest for VMS exploration. The field mapping exercises have been interleaved with talks by Johannes Holzäpfel and Dave Maher of EMX Royalty Corporation and Amanda Scott (BSc Geology, FAusIMM) of Scott Geological AB touching various aspects of entrepreneurship and drivers in the mineral exploration industry.

The most promising target was tested with a geophysical survey, and on Friday the team headed to Boliden for a drill core logging exercise and talks by Mac Fjellerad Persson and Tobias Hermansson.

Testimonials

Rayhan Aldizan Farrenzo

“”These past few days were nothing but a wonderful experience. Getting a new mindset to become a better exploration geologist, and basically starting from zero again because you basically don’t know anything, which is a good thing to start with. Nevertheless, huge thanks to Nils F Jansson and Tobias Bauer with the help of TIMREX MSc in Mineral Exploration for the meticulously curated one week summer school, mainly about VMS Deposits. Not only about VMS Deposits, we also get the insightful lectures about mineral exploration industry. Starting from talks about Junior Exploration Company from the distinguished EMX Royalty Corporation representations, Johannes Holzäpfel and Dave Maher. Continued by the motivational career talk by Amanda Scott (BSc Geology, FAusIMM) on entrepreneurial geology and most importantly to be a “full-package geologist” that can work under many different hats. Our last day for the summer school ends with a trip to Boliden, where we got to see the humongous drill core archive facilities and also to hear the successful Rävliden exploration story by Mac Fjellerad Persson and some explanation about core logs and it’s connection with the VMS Models. Lastly, we got a very interesting lecture about Exploration Geology and AI by Tobias Hermansson, and what could be the future for exploration geology. I’m very lucky to have such an experience.””

Nchimenyi Sobse

Celebrating the success of our VMS field exploration course in Skeleftea!

I am thrilled to have participated in a VMS field exploration course in the breathtaking skelleftea District in northern Sweden.

Hands-On fieldwork:
I gained invaluable experience, mapping and understanding the role of Insitu hyaloclastites and metasediments to proximity of the massive sulfides.

Witnessed first hand and
logged the drill cores from this area at the Boliden core facility.

Understood the process of mapping structures using high resolution photogammetric images of outcrops, alteration and facies mapping.

Networking:
Connections were forged, creating a vibrant community of like minded professionals through presentations from Johannes Holzäpfel of EMX Royalty Corporation , Amanda Scott (BSc Geology, FAusIMM) of Scott Geological AB.

At Boliden we received wonderful lectures from Mac Fjellerad Persson on VMS deposits in the skelleftea District and Tobias Hermansson on research and development at BOLIDEN.

I am incredibly proud of the dedication and enthusiasm of our field professors Nils F Jansson, Tobias Bauer and a host of professionals from Boliden for their resounding lessons and contribution which made it a success.

To the wonderful TIMREX MSc in Mineral Exploration students from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology , LuleĂĄ University of Technology , University of Miskolc and University of Zagreb it was a memorable experience working as a team.

Gebreselassie Gebremedhin

“Last week, I had a valuable practical experience studying Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (VMS) deposits in the field. The fieldwork took place in the SkellefteĂĄ district of Northern Sweden, one of the major ore-producing regions. The exposure to field mapping exercises and attending lectures on professional and entrepreneurial insights was enriching. Exploring the formation processes of VMS deposits, practicing structural measurements, alteration and lithological facies description (i.e., metavolcanics and metasediments), geophysical survey (i.e., magnetic-to detect possible anomalies) followed by attending lectures on data interpretation presented by geophysicists from Boliden, and a visit to Boliden for drill core logging, along with lectures were wonderful experiences.

Many thanks to the course and field leaders, Prof. Nils F Jansson and Tobias Bauer of Luleå University of Technology, for their lectures, field guidance and sharing of profound knowledge and skills. Special thanks to Amanda Scott (BSc Geology, FAusIMM) of Scott Geological AB, and Johannes Holzäpfel from EMX Royalty Corporation for their invaluable professional and entrepreneurial advice. Gratitude also extends to Mac Fjellerad Persson of Boliden for his insightful lectures on the history of VMS in Skellefteå, exploration development, and reconstruction of the VMS forming geological process based on drill core interpretation. Appreciation continues to Tobias Hermansson of Boliden for his enlightening lectures on exploration research, development of exploration techniques, and professional advice.

To my dear colleagues from TIMREX MSc in Mineral Exploration and beyond, it was a pleasure being part of the fieldwork with you. I appreciate the teamwork and have learned a lot from you. I look forward to continued collaboration in the green energy and sustainable development journey. Cheers to all!

A big thank you to the organizing team and everyone who contributed to this memorable experience.”

Samuel Ayipa Arthur

” I am excited to share my incredible experience at the TIMREX Summer School, where I participated in the Applied Field Exploration course at LuleĂĄ University of Technology, Sweden, organized by Professors Nils F Jansson and Tobias Bauer. Held from June 10th to 14th, this immersive program provided a unique, field-based mineral exploration experience, blending innovative techniques with hands-on practice.

Alongside 20 skilled student geologists from University of Miskolc, Luleå University of Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology and the University of Zagreb / Sveučilište u Zagrebu, we tackled the challenge of rediscovering a blind VMS deposit in the Skellefte district. Utilizing various mapping techniques and magnetic geophysical surveys, we also honed our drill core logging skills at Boliden. This course, part of the EIT RawMaterials labelled TIMREX MSc in Mineral Exploration, was truly educative and transformative.

Appreciations to hashtag#Johannes hashtag#Holzäpfel (EMX Royalty Corporation), and Amanda Scott (BSc Geology, FAusIMM) (Scott Geological AB) for their insightful talks on entrepreneurship and industry drivers. The knowledge and skills gained are invaluable for my future in mineral exploration and mining.

Special thanks also to Mac Fjellerad Persson for his presentation on VMS deposits discovery case story in the Skelleftea District and Tobias Hermansson for his discussion on research and development at Boliden.

I am deeply grateful to our lecturers and coordinators from LuleĂĄ University of Technology, Prof. Nils F Jansson and Prof. Tobias Bauer, as well as the TIMREX MSc in Mineral Exploration for organizing the Summer School Field Program.

I look forward to applying these learnings and continuing this exciting journey!”

Joshua Boye

Exciting News!

I am thrilled to share that I recently participated in the 2024 TIMREX field Exploration Summer School!

The summer school is part of an applied Field Exploration course at LuleĂĄ University of Technology, Sweden, organized by Prof. Nils F Jansson and Tobias Bauer.This course form part of the EIT RawMaterials labelled TIMREX MSc in Mineral Exploration program .The Summer school was held from 10th to 14th of June 2024 in SkellefteĂĄ, Northern Sweden, a significant district with VMS ore deposits.

This one week intensive program was an incredible experience for me . It dived deep into the Geological and geophysical field mapping of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide(VMS) deposits, gaining cutting-edge hands-on practical experience on structural, alteration, and lithological facies mapping in a typical VMS setting.

Throughout the program, I had the opportunity to:
Attend immersive lectures led by industry experts with diverse technical and entrepreneurial skills in mining and exploration.
Collaborate on field geological and geophysical mapping exercises with brilliant and talented peers from various Timrex partner universities.
Explore new perspectives and approaches in
Geological field mapping, Drill Core logging, and geophysical survey techniques applicable to VMS exploration and mining.
Develop critical soft skills that I am excited to apply in my career.

Many thanks to Prof. Nils F Jansson and Tobias Bauer of Luleå University of Technology (program coordinators and field leaders) for their insightful lectures, hands-on mentoring, and sharing of deep knowledge and skills in exploration and mining with us.I am also grateful to Amanda Scott of Scott Geological AB, and hashtag#Johannes hashtag#Holzäpfel from EMX Royalty Corporation for their industrial and entrepreneurial advice, which will be valuable to my learning and growth. Also, a heart full of gratitude goes to the TIMREX MSc in Mineral Exploration consortium for putting such an astonishing program in place. Finally, many thanks to Mac Fjellerad Persson of Boliden for enlightening us on the VMS deposits discovery case story in the Skelleftea District and Tobias Hermansson for his presentation on Research and Development at Boliden .

This One week experience has really impacted my knowledge of mineral exploration in VMS setting and I look forward to apply this valuable knowledge gained.”

As part of the TIMREX project, a Summer Field School was organised for 25 students studying mostly in universities from the East-South-Eastern European region between 10-14 June. 25 students participated in the event from 8 universities across Europe from Estonia to Greece. The focus of the school was on fieldwork in the Telkibánya low-suplhidation Au-bearing occurrence, combined with intensive laboratory exercises and data evaluation. The program was complemented by evening lectures about upcoming solutions and trends for mineral resource exploration in Europe.

TIMREX is an EIT-RawMaterials co-financed project to implement the TIMREX EIT-labelled joint master’s programme on innovative mineral resource exploration.

10-14 June 2024, Telkibánya, Hungary

Introduction

The objective of the school is to give a field-based mineral exploration experience for students, introducing innovative exploration techniques and approaches, using the example of a low sulphidation hydrothermal ore deposit. The program is designed for earth science bachelor’s and master’s students, primarily from the East-South-Eastern European (ESEE) region. Master students from field of mining engineering are also welcome.

Telkibánya is a well-known historical mining site of the Carpathian region, and the locality and the available exploration databases provide a good environment for an efficient field practice. Invited speakers from the raw materials industry will complement the program.

Upon completion of the programme and competency assessment, certificate about the field school and 3 ECTS shall be earned by the students.

The TIMREX project supports the participation of the students by a scholarship up to 400 € to cover the travel and subsistence costs. Eligibility for the scholarship will be defined by external evaluators based on the completed registration form. 

Deadline: 10 April 2024

Site location

Program

(L) = Lectures

(PC) = Practical classes, demos

(F) = Field programs

(S) = Social programs

INTRODUCTORY ONLINE LECTURES

27 May – 7 June, 2024 (exact dates will be defined later, online lectures will be held in late afternoon time).

Topic Leaders
(L) Telkibánya geological setting and mining history
János Földessy, University of Miskolc, Hungary
(L) Magmatic-hydrothermal ore-forming processes (porphyry Cu-Mo and epithermal Au-Ag deposits)
Sibila Borojevic-Sostaric, University of Zagreb, Croatia
(L) Hydrothermal processes – physical & chemical properties of aqueous solutions, fluid inclusions, ore-fluid compositions, solubility of metals in aqueous solutions, hydrothermal alteration
Ferenc Molnár, ELTE Hungary
(L) New and innovative analytical methodologies in exploration geochemistry
István Márton, Stockwerk Ltd.
(L) Integration, interpretation and modelling of high- precision multielement and hyperspectral datasets
Thorkild Maack Rasmussen, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden
(L) Advanced geophysical methods in mineral exploration of hydrothermal deposits
Endre Nádasi, UM

FIELD WEEK PROGRAM

Students will form four groups, mixed regarding home university, gender, background. Each group will complete all field and laboratory exercises.

10 June 2024

Time Topic Leaders
10-13
(F) Geological mapping of the area of K-alteration
(F) Indication of veins by induced polarisation method and magnetometry
Norbert NĂ©meth (UM), Geogold Ltd.
13-14
Lunch
14-15
(S) Mining museum visit
15-17
(PC) Elaboration of fieldwork results in QGIS
(PC) Analysis of drill cores (alteration types, multispectral core logging, XRF, LIBS)
Norbert Németh, Norbert Zajzon, Boglárka Topa
17-18
18-19
Dinner
19-21
(L) Visiting lectures: Careers in geology for young geoscientists in Eastern Europe; Innovative solutions for and challenges in underwater spaces: sensor development, robotization
Róbert Serfőző, Geogold Ltd.; Richárd Papp, UGR

11 June 2024

Time Topic Leaders
9-13
(F) Geological mapping of the area of K-alteration
(F) Indication of veins by induced polarisation method and magnetometry
Norbert NĂ©meth (UM), Geogold Ltd.
13-14
Lunch
15-17
(PC) Elaboration of fieldwork results in QGIS
(PC) Analysis of multispectral satellite images (Landsat TM, ASTER)
Norbert NĂ©meth, Mohamed Badawi
17-18
18-19
Dinner
19-21
Visiting lectures • Drillcore scanning and innovative solutions for core analysis • Exploration method specialties of detecting deep-seated metallic deposits
Gyula Maros, Geological Survey (online); Ferenc Molnár, ELTE, ex-GTK

12 June 2024

Time Topic Leaders
9-13
(F) Soil and stream sediment sampling on the Kánya hill
(F) Underground observations in the Mária-adit: alteration patterns, XRF, LIBS, spectral gamma measurements
Norbert Zajzon, Ferenc Mádai, Boglárka Topa, Ferenc Móricz
13-14
Lunch
15-17
(PC) Analysis and modelling of geochemical prospecting data with IoGAS
(PC) Compiling the 3D geological model in Leapfrog
Ferenc Mádai, Evane Cesar, István Márton
17-18
18-19
Dinner
19-21
Visiting lectures • Working as an EurGeol professional in the mineral exploration industry • Lessons from the Future Explorers challenge in innovative mineral exploration
Szabolcs Orbán (online); István Márton, Stockwerk Ltd.

13 June 2024

Time Topic Leaders
9-12
(PC) Compilation of datasets and modelling, perspectivity map generation
All
12-13
Lunch
13-14
(F) Pálháza perlite quarry site visit
14-15
15-16
(PC) Pálháza quarry drone demo and interpretation
16-18
(F) Geoproduct company visit
18-
(S) Tállya vine cellar visit and tasting and dinner

14 June 2024

Time Topic Leaders
9-10
(PC) Finalization of reports and models
All
10-11
11-13
Group presentations of results, competency assessment and wrap-up
All
13-14
Lunch

Course leaders

Sibila Borojević Šoštarić

Sibila Borojević Šoštarić is Professor at the University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering. Her main scientific interest in detailed mineralogical, petrological, and geochemical analysis with emphasis on ore deposits, mineralization and metallogeny.

Thorkild Maack Rasmussen

Thorkild Maack Rasmussen is a chaired professor in Applied Geophysics, LuleĂĄ University of Technology, Sweden. Professor Rasmussen has experience from a broad spectrum of geophysical disciplines including magnetics, gravity, electromagnetics, gamma-ray spectrometry, hyperspectral data and seismics. His interest has covered all aspects from inversion and interpretation of geophysical data to instrument development and data acquisition.

Ferenc Molnár

Ferenc Molnár graduated as a qualified geologist at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest in 1986. He obtained his PhD at that university in 1995 and was a NATO-NSERC post-doctoral researcher at the Carleton University, Ottawa from 1997 to 1999. From 1986 to 2011 he worked in various positions at the Department of Mineralogy, Eötvös Loránd University and completed research projects in mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry of epithermal gold, porphyry copper, IOCG, as well as orthomagmatic and hydrothermal Cu-Ni-Pge ore deposits in various European and American terrains. From 2011 to 2021 he worked as a research professor of ore geology at the Geological Survey of Finland. In that position his major field of research was focused on the development of models for various types of ore systems, especially for orogenic gold mineral systems and development of novel mineral exploration methods based on the extensive use of modern analytical techniques. Since 2021, Dr Molnár is the head of the Department of Mineralogy at the Eötvös Loránd University. and the major focus of his work is on the mentoring of the next generation of geologists.

Norbert Zajzon

Norbert Zajzon completed his MSc and PhD studies about mineralogy, geochemistry and solid mineral resources at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. His research subject was instrumental mineralogy and geochemistry related to global environmental crises, mass extinctions. Until now he is dedicated to numerous analytical techniques in the geoscience field. He is an associate professor at the Institute of Mineralogy and Geology, and head of the Mineralogy – Petrology Department, University of Miskolc (Miskolc, Hungary), teaching instrumental mineralogy, ore deposits and astronomy and planetology and head of the microprobe laboratory and co-leader of the 3D laboratory. He has experience in numerous H2020 projects, like Robominers, or UNEXMIN where he was the coordinator. UNEXMIN project. The UNEXMIN results leaded to its continuation the EIT Raw Materials financed UNEXUP project where he also is the coordinator. He is also the scientific advisor of the UNEXMIN Georobotics Ltd, which was founded by the UNEXMIN consortium.

István Márton PhD

István Márton PhD has obtained BSc and Msc in Romania at the Babeș–Bolyai University, Cluj and University of Bucharest, respectively. Following a 3 years period working as Exploration Geologist in Apuseni Mts (Romania) he continued studies at the University of Geneva (Switzerland), where he obtained PhD in 2008. After a short academic post-doc research period he has joined the exploration industry and since then, he has been working in the exploration and mining industry as an Exploration Geologist and Geochemist. The lecturer has been involved in target generation, greenfield- and brownfield- exploration and geometallurgical works in 8 countries being focused on Cretaceous–Miocene epithermal Au-Ag, polymetallic carbonate replacement Pb-Zn-Cu-Au, porphyry Cu-Au-Mo, sedimentary rock-hosted gold and Archean orogenic gold deposits. Since 2009 he is working also as visiting lecturer at the University of Babeş–Bolyai University teaching Introduction to Ore Deposits and Economic Geology courses and supervises bachelor/master student projects. More recently the Lecturer is acting as principal geoscientist consultant at Dundee Precious Metals with focus on exploration geochemistry, 3D modelling and drill target generation efforts of the company in greenfield and near-mine projects in Bulgaria, Serbia, Armenia and Canada.

Richárd Zoltán Papp

Richárd Zoltán Papp is the Managing Director at UNEXMIN GeoRobotics Ltd. He graduated from the Environmental sciences BSc at the Eötvös Loránd University and then from the Earth science engineering MSc at the University of Miskolc. He completed his PhD studies in mineralogy at the University of Miskolc and participated in the UNEXMIN (H2020) and UNEXUP (EIT RawMaterials) projects as a research fellow. Recently he is the head of the UNEXMIN Georobotics Ltd., the successor enterprise of the UNEXMIN project aiming to commercially exploit the multi-robot platform. The company positions itself as a R&D and commercial technology service provider capable of significantly extending the framework for mineral exploration and data acquisition methods, with robotic solutions (initially with underwater surveying) and integration of available geoscientific data acquired for greenfield or brownfield deep deposits exploration /development.

Ferenc Mádai

Ferenc Mádai is the head of Institute of Exploration Geosciences at the University of Miskolc. His teaching duties cover the topics of petrography, geochemical exploration methods, mineral exploration and mineral resource management. He has participated in several domestic and international projects for assessing the potential of critical raw materials (e.g. REEBAUX) and improving utilization conditions (e.g. MINLEX, Robominers). Participates in several international educational projects, he is the program coordinator for the TIMREX joint programme.

Image gallery

Program brochure

Blog post published by University of Miskolc, translated to English below. Click HERE to read the original post (in Hungarian).

The University of Miskolc’s Startup Ideas Competition focused on today’s environmental problems, with ten teams submitting their entries. In the project presentation final, the first place was won by HydroGen, a team of students from the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Engineering, with their idea to start a company researching natural hydrogen sources.

The ‘National EIT KIC Raw Materials Partnership for the Development of Innovation Ecosystem – HAPAKO Project’ (2021-1.2.1-EIT-KIC-2021-00003), which organises this year’s first semester Startup Idea Competition, is open for entries in the fields of raw materials research, circular economy and waste recovery.

The competition aims to give innovative young people the opportunity and support to create their future businesses. This will be supported by a cash grant to the winners. This year, for the first time, the competition was open to foreign students, with seven teams taking part.

In the final of the Startup Idea Competition on 30 November, the jury of experts awarded three winning teams.

The first place was won by HydroGen, a team of students from the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Engineering (Gábor Babos, Krisztofer Török, Péter Mátyás), with a plan to start a hydrogen research company that would offer an environmentally friendly solution using natural hydrogen.

The second prize-winning team ByprodEx (Moataz Mohamed, Gomaa Abdelrahman, Hadeer Ahmed Ali Hassan, PhD students in geophysics) is developing an application that would support the recovery of industrial waste from companies through an electronic marketplace.

Third place was awarded to the Grassroots team (Rayhan Aldızan Farrenzo, Zeynep Kezer, Makhosi geology students), who would produce soap and candles from used cooking oil.

A special prize was awarded to the Pickapp team (PĂ©ter Gál Zoltán Gál, law student, and his colleagues), who would support the collection of PET bottles and aluminium cans with a “door-to-door” collection service in the mandatory deposit scheme starting in 2024.

On Friday, October 27th, we hosted the Label Induction Day for our first-year TIMREX and AMIR students currently enrolled at the University of Miskolc. TIMREX students from Uni-ZG (RGNF) – Zagreb – have joined the event online.

During the Label Induction Day, Imre Gombkötő, a dedicated member of the EIT-RM ECLC team, provided an informative overview of the numerous opportunities available to students within the labeled programs, with a strong emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Additionally, Zsolt István, a staff member from the University of Miskolc, delivered a presentation on the university’s vibrant innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. He highlighted the various talent-management programs that the university offers to support and nurture our students’ development.