NEXPERT
Nexus for Expertise in Sustainable Mineral Resource Development
Motivation
The EU faces an important shift to sustainable raw material supply chain, which is key to achieving the climate and environmental goals set out in the European Green Deal. This transition requires trained individuals with interdisciplinary knowledge of sustainable mining, environmental management, and circular economy practices. The high resource potential in Greenland combined with EU’s demand for minerals and its expertise in prospecting, exploration, extraction, processing and refining, makes a solid base for the Partnership and supports the development of Greenland’s mineral resource sector as a future supplier of critical raw materials to the EU.
The consortium, led by RWTH Aachen University and including Aarhus University, the University of Eastern Finland and Pinngortitaleriffik/Grønlands Naturinstitut, brings together expertise from both the mining and environmental sectors. This collaboration ensures that students, educators and the general public have access to high quality digital learning resources that address the complex challenges of CRM extraction and management.
Approach
The NEXPERT project aims to foster academic collaboration, share and create innovative digital teaching materials, and exchange knowledge to promote the sustainable, secure supply and responsible management of mineral resources development. The founding of NEXPERT supports EUs transition to a sustainable supply of raw materials by providing interdisciplinary access to knowledge on mineral resource extraction, sustainable mining processes, environmental management, and the circular economy at the university level and by directly involving and raising awareness in society.
Project results
Digital teaching materials: Development of didactically sophisticated and interactive learning modules on topics such as sustainable mining, environmental management and the circular economy. These materials are accessible to a wide range of academic disciplines.
NEXPERT Forum: Building a digital platform that serves as a central hub for knowledge exchange and collaboration between academic institutions, students and the public. The platform promotes interdisciplinary dialogue on topics relating to the sustainable development and extraction of raw materials.
Student-led Mining Wiki: Development of a student-run collaborative knowledge portal that serves as a supplement to teaching materials and encourages active participation in knowledge transfer and production.
Public relations and events: Organisation of student-led conferences, webinars and workshops to inform the general public and the scientific community about the importance of CRM and sustainable resource management.
