Director's Welcome - May 2024
Dear All,We are well into 2024 now and there are many highlights to mention since we were last in touch.
The updates in this newsletter really bring home the breadth and relevance of research being carried out at the SMI, these include:
- Reducing the energy and waste footprint of mining operations;
- The responsible sourcing of sand and silicates;
- Examining the effects on communities from the energy transition;
- Supporting stakeholders understand the links between rehabilitation approaches and their ecosystem impacts;
- Helping communities, governments and companies to manage scarce water resources in areas of high mining activity;
- Providing training resources focused on several of the key social performance dimensions of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management for free in English, Spanish and Portuguese!
I recently travelled to Chile to spend time with the SMI ICE Chile team and attend the World Copper and CESCO conferences. As always, it was a great opportunity to see the continued positive progress of our team there and to hear from industry about current challenges and opportunities.
While I was there the word came through about two new grants totalling nearly $0.6m which the team had received from CORFO, the Chilean economic development agency, both in the key area of water management. The projects are looking at ways to improve water quality at mine sites and building resilient regional water supply networks.
SMI staff from both sides of the Pacific are also about to run a DFAT-supported course in Chile promoting leadership for Women in Mining, which has received a large amount of interest as well as additional industry sponsorship.
UQ is a major participant in the Curtin University-led Resource Technology and Critical Minerals (RTCM) Trailblazer, and a large group of researchers from the SMI and UQ’s Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and IT (EAIT) travelled to Perth in late April, accompanied by many of our industry partners, to participate in an Industry Showcase event.
The guest of honour was Senator Anthony Chisolm, the Assistant Federal Minister for Education in charge of the Trailblazer program. UQ’s role in the Trailblazer is focused on three different areas of focus: University Transformation aimed at effecting positive change in the ability of our researchers to conduct industry-led research and commercialise its outcomes; Technology Readiness aimed at de-risking new technology in partnership with industry; and Commercialisation where the aim is to develop the systems and capability to become a world leader in the commercial implementation of research outcomes.
As part of the program, we have conducted several workshops in collaboration with UniQuest, the Liveris Academy, and the UQ Business School as well as delivering individual and group mentorship and advice to help identify and support research ideas and projects with commercialisation potential. We have also built a strong pipeline of industry-supported projects of more than $24m across 17 different companies working with SMI and EAIT researchers.
Given all this, it is not a surprise that the Minister commented very favourably on the positive progress of the RTCM Trailblazer during his recent visit.
As I write this, we have just seen the announcement from the Queensland government of strategic funding for the UQ National Drone Research Platform and the Long Pocket Mineral Characterisation Facility, both of which are strongly positive for the SMI. No doubt we will be telling you more about these in later newsletters.
Finally, I would like to congratulate Dr Fang You, who was successful in obtaining a mid-career Advance Queensland Industry Fellowship to study approaches to improve the fertility of eco-engineered soils derived from mine waste.
I hope you enjoy the newsletter. I hope that 2024 is going well for you, and as always, we would love to hear from you.
