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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Objectives of the commitment

This project aims at building an operational task force (the De Re Metallica International Chair) able to drive projects dealing with higher education in raw materials. The basic idea is that a target country, which wants to set up its own higher education system for raw materials science, technology, and industry can benefit from EU expertise to do that. The target countries will be areas lacking experts in raw materials with specific efforts in Africa and Latin America.
This project is based on the consortium which operates the Erasmus Mundus Master "Emerald" dedicated to georessources engineering, associated with Madrid Polytechnic Universiy. The De Re Metallica International Chair will be a part of the European contribution to the African Mineral Development Center, with special emphasis of results area 6 (building human and institutional capacities), and 3 (Governance and Participation). In addition, this project will create triangular cooperations between the EU, target countries, and nations of high raw materials expertise.

Description of the activities

The De Re Metallica chair will drive or participate to various types of projects :
1-creating a new institution such as a school of mines,
2-creating a new program in an already existing institution such as a master in raw material engineering
3-upgrading an existing program
4-developing a national or a multi-national academic community
5-training teachers and academic managers
6-establishing links between academics and industry
To do that, the actions to be taken will be :
1-constitution of a task force including project managers, experts and teachers, able to answer to various demands from target countries. This task force will be able to tackle all problems including academic, industrial, legal, building, and financial ones. The task force should be able to manage all types of projects, from one-shot evaluation and counsel, to long-term, all-included, educational projects. The main activities will be : drawing up of higher education programs, fund raising for development projects, organisation of companies consortium, assistance for the conception of buildings.
2-Writing "De Re Metallica Guidelines and Procedures", which will summarize and synthesize the existing expertise already available in the partners institutions for various types of projects.
3-Identification of European or non-European experts who can be mobilized for specific questions, and creation of an associated directory of "De Re Metallica Experts".
4-Creation of an European organisation made up of freshly retired engineers from companies which will act as a network of technical teachers. Theses people will be the "De Re Metallica Associated Professors".
5-Training of target countries teachers and academic managers by immersion in institutions with high-level expertise in raw materials (European or not) and in companies.
6-Organization of research stays in high-level laboratories (European or not) for young senior professors to upgrade them to the status of academic leaders. The selected institutions will be named "De Re Metallica Training Centres".
Each action managed by the De Re Metallica Chair will be carried out as typical “work package” of EU project, with a specific institution as leader. An example of such project is the “Ecole des Mines et de la Métallurgie de Moanda” in Gabon, lead by Eramet-Comilog, with Université de Lorraine as academic partner. This is a “all included” creation of a School of Mines for Gabonese Republic. Another type is the the Master program in « Environmental Management of Mining Operations » to be organised in Lubumbashi by Université de Liège in triangular mode with South African university.

Description of the expected impacts

Our initiative will contribute to securing raw materials for Europe by strengthening links between mining intensive developing countries and Europe. It will increase the influence of European academic institutions and companies in emerging countries. By promoting professor's mobility we will increase their awareness of the reality of mining operations in those regions, which will contribute to the quality of their teaching in Europe.
Compared to usual international programs of cooperations and development, this project is markedly different for the following points :
1-the projects will aim at helping countries to develop their own forces, in a long-term perspective. For that it will focus on building institutions and educating the teachers, rather than educating students.
2-all projects will include extensive partnerships with companies, for designing the programs (numbers of students and contents) and, as much as possible, for financial support.
3-the projects will include education in mineral processing and metallurgy, in order to help countries to switch from an extraction economy, to a first transformation economy, with special emphasis on good practices and sustainability.
4-developement of programs devoted to training of highly qualified technicians (European Bachelor level) will always be considered as a priority action, since they are, in many countries the most wanted skill level, however, Master and PhD programs will also be included.
5-the project will include education in environmental engineering (remediation, biodiversity), and in mining legislation (mining code, environmental regulation).
6-the project will promote triangular and south-south cooperation.

Coordinating organisation & role

Name of the coordinating organisation: Université de LorraineCountry: FranceEntity profile: AcademiaRole within the commitment:

Université de Lorraine is the coordinating partner. It manages the global project and is in charge of quality assessment. It will maintain the “Associate Professor” and “Experts” directories. It will coordinate the writing of the “Guidelines and Procedures”. It is the academic partner for the project “Ecole des Mines et de la Métallurgie de Moanda” in Gabon, lead by Eramet-Comilog Manganese, which is an example of all-inclusive creation of a school of mines for the Gabonese Republic.

Other partners

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.

Name of the organisation: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V. Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Fraunhofer will lead the CFRP and GFRP recycling research.
Fraunhofer will perform corrosion tests on the developed materials.
Fraunhofer will work with CIDAUT on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project. Fraunhofer is the Quality Manager of the Consortium and will oversee deliverables and general reporting are produced with the best possible quality following agreed review standards.

Fundacion Cidaut

Name of the organisation: Fundacion Cidaut Country: Spain Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: CIDAUT will lead the research activities on materials recycling and compounding, implementing lab scale demonstrators of each process at its premises and, later, supporting end-users upscale the processes.
CIDAUT will perform mechanical tests, microstructural analyses, injection moulding capability studies on the developed materails, and will work with Fraunhofer on the implementation, validation and refinement of LCCA tools for the project.

RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV)

Name of the organisation: RWTH Aachen University (Institute of plastic processing (IKV) Country: Germany Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: RWTH will implement the novel 3D Generative Preforming process (3D Fibre Spraying) that enables to create high-value long fibre-reinforced 3D preforms for thermoplastic and thermoset composites at low process costs (different kinds of yarn as a raw material, low tooling costs due to low cavity pressures). This cost effective technology allows to align the sprayed fibres in order to produce high-performance, engineered anisotropic products.

Universita' di Cagliari

Name of the organisation: Universita' di Cagliari Country: Italy Entity profile:
Role within the commitment: University of Cagliari is one of the leading European organization in the resin design and coupling with thermoplastic and thermose materials. University of Cagliari will support in the definition of the composite materials, both from CFRP/GFRP, ABS and Rare Earth composite material.

Relight

Name of the organisation: Relight Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: RELIGHT will work with ITRB to provide the research partners with residues for the recycled ABS supply and the REE recovery processes, including their HydroWEEE process as part of the processes to be studied and analyzed.

Piaggio Aerospace

Name of the organisation: Piaggio Aerospace Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - large company
Role within the commitment: Piaggio Aerospace is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Piaggio will assist in the compounds selection, provide Fraunhofer with specific corrosion requirements on business jet size aircraft, and will assess that the developed materials performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

Blackshape Aircrafts

Name of the organisation: Blackshape Aircrafts Country: Italy Entity profile: Private sector - SME
Role within the commitment: Blackshape Aircrafts is one of the project End Users (Aeronautics Industry): as such it will provide requirements and further applications that could be developed with the Consortium Materials. Blackshape will support to fulfill the requirements of the aeronautics industry on ultra light jet, light jet and trainer for Syllabus, and will assess that the developed alloys performance fits the selected applications desired improvements.

KU Leuven

Name of the organisation: KU Leuven Country: Belgium Entity profile: Academia
Role within the commitment: KUL will collaborate on the balance problem studies and will lead the rare earth recovery research with the solvometallurgical and ionometallurgical processes.
KUL will also contribute to the final compounding selection.
KUL is the Dissemination Manager of the project, promoting that all partners are active on the project Dissemination.

FIDAMC

Name of the organisation: FIDAMC Country: Spain Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: FIDAMC is going to lead the Work Package on Compression Moulding with CFRP-enhanced materials. As part of the AIRBUS Group, FIDAMC will also be able to provide the input material.
FIDAMC successfully developed a 3D Printer of own design to serve the Aerospace Industry and will be supporting Smart Lab 3D Industries in its 3D printer design.

COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER

Name of the organisation: COMPOSITE INNOVATION CENTER Country: Canada Entity profile: Governmental/public body
Role within the commitment: Composite Innovation Center is one of the world leading organization in the field of Composite materials, both from carbon fiber and vegetal-based fibers.
Composite Innovation center has successfully implemented, at lab-scale, recycling processes for CFRP and GFRP.

Existing EU Contribution: Yes

Period to implement the commitment: from 01-01-2015 to 01-01-2020