Partner Introductory Event

On 13 December 2022 the TIMREX consortium organised an event to introduce the non-academic partners to the students. The Partner Introductory Event was an opportunity for students to learn about the activities and added value from industry partner in TIMREX with regards to innovations in mineral exploration and the opportunities for students to join their activities. In addition, it provided an overview about the competence needs required by the raw materials industry from graduates.

The event is primarily organized for students of the TIMREX pilot cohort and for students interested in applying to the future TIMREX cohorts. All speakers made their presentations available for download – so the future TIMREX students can understand the added value provided by the industry component of the education program, and how to take part in it:

We look forward to preparing our students for the competitive market in Mineral Exploration!

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Progress meeting in Zagreb, Croatia

The TIMREX consortium had the first opportunity to meet in person to conduct a Steering Committee meeting in Zagreb, Croatia. This assembly happened on the 3 – 4 October 2022, divided in two periods, to discuss the ongoing activities and the objectives for the next months. In this opportunity, each partner had a representative to contribute to the decision-making process within TIMREX, led by the Project Coordinator Ferenc Madái – University of Miskolc. 

After a round of introductions between the participants, the agenda started with discussions regarding the EIT Label application and labelling process, which is within the scope of WP3. These discussions were followed by the adjustment of the joint curriculum, with contribution from both the education and industry partners. Part of the education programme is dedicated to mentoring on entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as the development of modules to address this demand – which was also covered in the discussion block.

The following day started with fine-tuning the ongoing pilot cohort (2022/2023), with the purpose of introducing TIMREX’s added value to students at the partner universities. After that, there was a joint discussion about outreach tools, such as promotional videos, to be developed and published in the upcoming months. The final discussions covered the plan to implement the field work for the summer field camp program for 2023.

As a conclusion, the Project Coordinator summarized the discussions and provided an overview about the roadmap for 2022 KPIs, deliverables, and preparation for 2023 tasks.

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Summer School 2022

Objectives

The objective of the school, held on 7 – 11 June 2022, was to introduce innovative mineral exploration methods and techniques with special focus on exploration of hydrothermal ore deposits. Keynote lectures about magmatic-hydrothermal ore forming processes were given by prof. Laurence Robb. The program was designed for earth science master’s students, primarily from the East-South-Eastern European (ESEE) region, but other master’s students from the field of mining engineering were also welcome.

The TIMREX Summer School 2022 program counted with the participation of 32 students,  whose selection criteria was evaluated by a dedicated commitee, based on a structured registration process.

A scholarship of up to 500€ was provided by TIMREX, to cover the travel and subsistence costs.

Testimonials

Árpád Ádámcsik 

“Thank you very much for the opportunity to participate in the summer school. It would have been a shame to miss this opportunity and I hope that I will have the chance to attend the next one in the future. I was able to learn a lot of things that I hadn’t had the opportunity to learn or hear about at university until now. I will try to make use of them and develop them further in the coming time. We have made a lot of new friends and hope to work with many of them in the future. Thank you very much to the organisers for this event and for giving us the opportunity to have such events as university students.”

Daniel Vasile

“It was amazing. We were presented with the newest, most innovative methods used in exploration geology. I am very pleased with the overall experience. The information we receive every day is very valuable to me. The particular interest of study revolved around metalliferous ore deposits and that is exactly what I wished for. Everybody, from the teachers to the students was very sociable, happy and wonderful, beautiful people in general. It was an experience for the books. I want to thank everybody and hopefully, I’ll be there for the next one.”

Deligiorgis Vasilios

“Very good connections between courses and field excercises.”

Ernest Konadu-Yiadom

“I have shared a post about it on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6943197353247973376/) and Facebook.”

Filip Petrić

“I liked how humble the location and venue looked like, whilst containing much substance and depth. We visited many sites and saw brand new technology in action – something that made me really interested and invested in this summer school. The professors were friendly, communicative and a master presenters. I enjoyed every lecture, although i didn’t know much about the topics before hand (i am a mining engineer). The pace i was learning new information and skills was unprecedented for me, and the organizers made sure the timetable was flexible so we could finish the topic before with quality and style. The organization of this summer school was surprisingly good, and although we were in a rush many times it was all worth it due to the quality information we were given. The food was a blast and the atmosphere the students and Telkibanya resonated was refreshing.”

Irma Becelyte

“Timex summer school taught me many things starting from the geology of the region to the most innovative exploration techniques. I got a better understanding of igneous ore-forming processes, data interpretation, and visualization methods. Different geological talks were presented by professionals who’ve known a subject the best; lecture materials were supplemented with examples and useful practicals. I am very glad that I had an opportunity to participate in this summer school, which gave me a lot of knowledge and brought me together with so many nice people.”

Karla Štiberc

“The whole program was fulfilling, innovative, educational and captivating. Organisers took care of our travelling and everything that we needed there. All the lecturers were well prepared and open to every question and discussion. Fieldwork was related to lectures. Free time was also well organised and filled with sightseeing and social activities. I had a great time and heard a lot of applicable information for my studies and future career.”

Will McCreery

“I absolutely loved this course. The professors and instructors were well-organised, thorough, and provided a great view of the future of the geologist. The students they selected were engaged and focused, and everyone was extremely friendly. Attending the summer school was a delight.”

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The upcoming TIMREX Summer School 2022

Objectives

The objective of the school is to introduce innovative mineral exploration methods and techniques with special focus on exploration of hydrothermal ore deposits. Keynote lectures about magmatic-hydrothermal ore forming processes will be given by prof. Laurence Robb. The program is designed for earth science master 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 provides a good environment for field practice complementing the theoretical parts of the summer school.

The TIMREX project supports the participation of the students by a scholarship up to 500 € to cover the travel and subsistence costs. Eligibility for the scholarship will be defined by external evaluators based on the completed registration form.

Site location

Telkibánya - Hungary

Program

(L) = Lectures

(PC) = Practical classes, demos

(F) = Field programs

(S) = Social programs

7 June

Time Topic Leaders
09:00 - 10:00
(L) Exploration challenges in the ESEE region, scope of the short course
Ferenc Mádai
10:00 - 11:00
(L) Telkibánya geological setting and mining history
János Földessy
11:00 - 12:00
(L) Careers in economic geology for young geoscientists
Laurence Robb
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch
13:00 - 14:00
(S) Mining museum visit
14:00 - 15:00
(L) Magmatic-hydrothermal ore-forming processes (porphyry Cu-Mo and epithermal Au-Ag deposits)
Laurence Robb
15:00 - 16:00
16:00 - 17:00
(L) Hydrothermal processes (1, 2) - physical & chemical properties of aqueous solutions, fluid inclusions, ore-fluid compositions, solubility of metals in aqueous solutions, hydrothermal alteration
Laurence Robb
17:00 - 18:00
18:00 -
(S) Barbecue, open fire

8 June

Time Topic Leaders
09:00 - 10:00
(L) Hydrothermal processes (3) – precipitation mechanisms with examples
Laurence Robb
10:00 - 11:00
11:00 - 12:00
(L) Sensors and field-based solutions for obtaining spectral chemistry information
Boglárka Topa
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch
13:00 - 14:00
(L) Advanced statistical analysis of multivariate (big) datasets
Norbert Szabó
14:00 - 15:00
(F) Fieldwork 1: Educational path: Teréz-adit, Jó-hill gold mine pits, Koncfalva ruins of Medieval processing plant, soil sampling
(F) Fieldwork 2: Mária-adit: hydrothermal alteration measurement, XRF, LIBS, spectral gamma radiation
Mádai F, Móricz F Topa B, Zajzon N
15:00 - 16:00
16:00 - 17:00
17:00 - 18:00
18:00 -
(S) Barbecue, open fire / local pub

9 June

Time Topic Leaders
09:00 - 10:00
(L) New and innovative analytical methodologies in exploration geochemistry. Integration, interpretation and modelling of high- precision multielement and hyperspectral datasets
István Márton
10:00 - 11:00
11:00 - 12:00
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch
13:00 - 17:00
(PC) Geochemical data evaluation practical part (groupworks: soil geochemistry dataset analysis, drillcore multispectral analysis)
Topa B, Zajzon N, Leskó M Mádai F, Papp R, Márton I
17:00 -
(S) Kosice sightseeing and dinner

10 June

Time Topic Leaders
09:00 - 10:00
(L) UAV-based remote sensing data acquisition and integration in 3D models
Richárd Papp
10:00 - 12:00
(L) Advanced geophysical methods in mineral exploration
Geogold Kárpátia
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch
13:00 - 14:00
(F) Pálháza perlite quarry site visit
14:00 - 15:00
15:00 - 16:00
(PC) Pálháza quarry drone demo and interpretation
Geogold Kárpátia
16:00 - 18:00
(F) Mád Király-hill clay mineralization
Éva Hartai
18:00-
(S) Tállya vine tasting and dinner

11 June

Time Topic Leaders
09:00 - 10:00
(L) Innovative solutions for and challenges in underwater spaces: sensor development, robotization
Zajzon N, Papp R
10:00 - 11:00
11:00 - 12:00
(L) Two fresh exploration thesis works from the Tokaj Mountains
Simon I, McCreery W (University of Oxford)
12:00 - 13:00
(L) Next Generation Exploration Award group presentation
NGEA team members
13:00 - 14:00
Lunch

Course leaders

Laurence Robb (FRSSAfr CGeol PrSciNat)

Before moving to the United Kingdom, Laurence Robb was Professor of Economic Geology in the School of Geosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa, and between 2001-2005, also Director of its Economic Geology Research Institute (EGRI). He is currently Visiting Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford. He has worked for over 30 years on many the great mineral districts of the African continent and is currently involved in research on the metallogeny of Myanmar/Burma and also Western Sahara. His main field of expertise is in granite related mineral deposits – he is also the author of the text-book, ‘Introduction to Ore-Forming Processes’ that is widely used all over the world. He served a term as President of the Geological Society of South Africa in 1999-2000 and was President of the Society of Economic Geologists, based in Denver, USA, in 2017.

Prof. Dr. Norbert Péter Szabó

Prof. Dr. Norbert Péter Szabó obtained his M.Sc. degree in geophysical engineering in 1999 from Faculty of Mining Engineering, University of Miskolc. He has been continuously working from graduating at the University of Miskolc. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2005. Since 2019, he has been a full professor at the Department of Geophysics. He is currently the head of Geophysical Department and vice-dean for scientific affairs at the Faculty of Earth Science and Engineering. He conducts research on geophysical inversion and exploratory (multivariate) statistical methods and their applications in earth sciences (mainly water and hydrocarbon prospecting). He delivers lectures on well logging, gravitational and magnetic exploration methods, engineering and environmental geophysics and geostatistics.

Dr. Norbert Zajzon

Dr. 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 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.

Registration

Eligibility for the scholarship will be defined by external evaluators based on the completed registration form:

REGISTRATION

DEADLINE: 4 APRIL 2022

Yard of the field camp in Telkibánya
Gulash party 1
Field laboratory work 1
Field laboratory work 2
Site visit at the Pálháza perlite quarry
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TIMREX has officially started!

TIMREX is a newly started project that will develop a Master’ Programme for Innovative Mineral Resource Exploration – funded by EIT RawMaterials. The initiative started in the beginning of 2022, and it will be concluded at the end of 2024. 

The kick-off meeting was held last week, on Friday 14th January 2022. Due to the current circumstances faced in Europe regarding travel restrictions, the event was held online. In this opportunity, a total of 20 participants had the chance to discuss the initials steps and work plan in TIMREX. The attendees were from the 10 different organisations involved in the project’s consortium, as well as a representative of EIT RawMaterials Academy.

TIMREX’s kick-off meeting started with welcome words from Ferenc Mádai, the Project Coordinator, from University of Miskolc. Afterwards, each partner had a few seconds to briefly introduce themselves to the other participants. In the sequence, the Project Coordinator proceeded with an overview of TIMREX, the main objectives, timeline, and the KPIs to be pursued. Subsequently, both the universities and the industrial & research members of the consortium presented their organisations and their role in the project, which was followed by an overview of the labelling process by EIT – which is the goal of TIMREX.

The following session consisted of presentations of each Work Package, by their respective leaders, comprising its objectives, timeline and expected impacts:

  • WP1 – Management and Governance (University of Miskolc)
  • WP2 – Curriculum development towards Lighthouse targets (Wroclaw University of Science and Technology)
  • WP3 – Mobility scheme development and labelling (University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering)
  • WP4 – Innovation and Entrepreneurship modules development (La Palma Research Centre)
  • WP5 – Mentoring and SOC competences development ( European Federation of Geologists)
  • WP6 – Field program development, organization and coordination ( Luleå University of Technology)
  • WP7 – Dissemination and outreach (La Palma Research Centre)

Finally, Ferenc Mádai closed the meeting with some practicalities and the schedule for the upcoming events and milestones within the project. Stay tuned with us!

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