AGEMERA team reunites in Zagreb for its second General Assembly meeting

Collaboration, knowledge exchange, intense discussions, and good energy all around - this is how one can describe our second face-to-face meeting in Zagreb, Croatia. While our team has been having multiple online meetings since the kick-off of the project last August, there is just something special about being in the same room with your project partners, sharing ideas and laughs, and working together towards the goals of the project. And this time, we were lucky to be hosted by the wonderful team at RGN fakultet, who prepared an excellent programme for us, covering the bulk of our work, but also a short networking event and even a geological excursion that helped us discover the rich geological potential of Croatia. 

The morning of 10 May 2023, representatives from all the 20 partner institutions of AGEMERA, as well as Advisory Board members, were cheerfully greeting each other in the hallways of RGN. The second in-person project meeting had just started! After a short introductory word and an overall review of the progress by our Project Coordinator, Jari Joutsenvaara, we proceeded to go through the progress of each Work Package, with every leader holding a short presentation on their achievements and future tasks. This was very important as the team gained a holistic view of the project's progress and a behind-the-scenes view into the work of their peers. The second part of the day and the first half of the second day were dedicated to Work Package-specific workshops whose purpose was not only to foster a constructive dialogue among the team members, but also to discuss potential ways in which they could support each other's work. No challenge is too big when your teammates have your back! It was also amazing to hear updates on the new technologies deployed in the project: muon tomography, geo-cube data, multisensor drone systems, and how they make possible an environmentally-friendly way of assessing raw material potential. 

What made the second day even more special was the clustering event that was set up. The event, whose theme was "Building a resilient Europe", saw key guests from EIT RawMaterials, NEXE Group and more, who talked to us about their work and why networking is so important in moving forward towards the green transition. 

On the third and last day of the meeting, our hosts prepared a surprise for us: they took the team on a geological excursion, where we learned about the genesis of the Dinarides and the deposits and exploitation of baryte in the region, and we visited a former exploitation ground in Lokve, as well as an abandoned quarry on the island of Krk. We are very grateful to have absorbed all this knowledge and see the sites with our own eyes - and last but not least, to have caught a glimpse of the blue waves of the Adriatic Sea...

Once again, our gratitude goes to the RGN Fakultet team, especially to Prof. Franjo Sumanovac and Anamarija Grbeš, who welcomed us in Zagreb and whose enthusiasm and kindness made this General Assembly meeting a memorable one. Now back to work for the AGEMERA team!