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As the EU has set on its path towards a low-carbon, digital economy, it became clear that there is a need for innovative methods, technologies and techniques to be developed and applied in mineral exploration without harming the environment. AGEMERA contributes to this mission by working on unlocking the Critical Raw Material (in short: CRM) potential in Europe, improving public knowledge of the role of critical raw materials in our everyday lives, and promoting environmentally and socially friendly mineral exploration.

To achieve this ambitious goal, AGEMERA, uniting 20 project partners, will conduct state-of-the-art geological and geophysical surveys in an area spanning over 4700 km^2 in six European countries and Africa (Zambia). At target areas, we will survey the local communities' concerns and hopes related to mineral exploration and mining and evaluate their perception of social licence to operate (in short: SLO) and social licence to explore (in short: SLE).

The geophysical field trial surveys will demonstrate three novel, non-invasive survey methods based on remote sensing and related data analysis. AGEMERA will use data from open-access databases, the data collected from the field by project geoscientists, and various geophysical survey methods to refine and improve the genetic mineral system models of the various deposit types known to contain lithium, cobalt, bauxite, etc. The project will introduce the existing guidance for applying UNFC for mineral resources to the partner countries through stakeholders, courses and public events. The project also has an educational dimension, aiming to produce various educational packages and materials to increase public awareness of the role of critical raw materials in our world, aiming to reach 5 million citizens by 2030. 

The project will create geographically targeted online surveys combined with the SoftGIS approach. These surveys will concentrate on local communities' social, cultural, environmental and economic hopes and concerns related to mining and mineral exploration. Local interviews will concentrate on the local perception of social licence to explore and operate. All data will be anonymised, and results will be published.

The AGEMERA project will raise awareness of the role of critical raw materials in our everyday lives and how the raw materials are linked to the goals of green and digital transitions. It will develop new social scientific tools for studying and understanding the local perception of mineral exploration. The project will produce improved genetic models for critical raw material deposits and promote environmentally and socially friendly mineral exploration.