AGEMERA partners hold GA meeting in Salamanca

AGEMERA partners hold GA meeting in Salamanca

The project team reunited in the charming Spanish city to look at the progress that has been made and set up for success in the second half of the project 

For the AGEMERA team, it's always a pleasure to get together and leave the rigidity of laptop screens and Zoom meetings behind - and when the backdrop is one of a kind, what is not to enjoy? 

Between 12 and 14 March, we reunited in Spain at the invitation of our colleagues from IGEOGeosciencies Barcelona, and Lithica, as well as the University of Salamanca (who kindly provided us with the venue), for a packed programme consisting of project updates, free discussions, lectures, special activities with students, and even a mine visit. This was the third in-person meeting of the team in its entirety (with bilateral meetings taking place separately for the fieldwork, events, and more). 

On the first day, we assembled in the premises of the University of Salamanca, in its centuries-old Aula Salinas (the oldest in the Spanish-speaking world!) and each work package had the opportunity to present the current status of their tasks, key achievements, and priorities for the future. After, we were incredibly honoured to assist in an excellent 1-hour presentation by Professor Juan Gómez Barreiro, who introduced us to the geological characteristics of the area, provided a thorough and often humorous explanation as to why regional geology is so important ("you cannot trust the data as they come out, without putting it into context") and dived into its gold mining history, going back as far as the Roman times. 

Later on in the afternoon, we took part in two workshops, devising practical strategies to help us communicate the project results to wider audiences and maximise the project's impact, especially as now results have started to pour in. We finished it off with a networking dinner where we not only indulged in jamón ibérico, but we also strengthened our friendships, told stories from our past projects, and anecdotes from our home countries. 

The second day was just as busy, but kept us energised all throughout, especially since we've had a fantastic Living Library experience with students from the university, youngsters who were curious about our field and expressed their desire to learn more about critical raw materials and the developments in non-invasive technologies as a means for responsible sourcing. We were also lucky to have Maarit Jokela teach us more about intellectual property management and patenting and took part in a series of round table discussions to explore AGEMERA's research visits, outputs, risk assessment, and resourcing, to identify potential challenges, but also what has worked in our favour so far. Last but not least, we concluded the day with a coveted visit to the library of the University of Salamanca, hosting many valuable manuscripts and incunabula. 

Finally, on the last day of our meeting, we had the fantastic opportunity to check out the Barruecopardo tungsten mine ran by the Spanish company Saloro. Tungsten is a metal with unique properties used in a wide range of industries, from metallurgy to electronics, defence and aerospace. However, at the moment, China is the biggest exporter of tungsten, which is why this metal has been included on the European Commission's official critical raw materials list. 

At the mine, we became familiar with their operations and the efforts they are putting into preserving the natural environment in the area. In fact, the company's environmental specialists are working closely with the Provincial Environmental Administration of the Junta de Castilla y León in Salamanca to ensure the protection of the fauna in the area. 
After this comprehensive presentation, we went to see the open pit and how tungsten is produced. Firstly, the ore is crushed to liberate the mineral containing tungsten. This mineral is then passed through a gravity concentrating process and gets separated with the help of recycled water. The clean mineral is then dried, packed, and prepared for sale. 


The mine visit concluded our fourth General Assembly meeting. A huge "Thank you!" goes to the organisers for the impeccable organisation and hospitality (and sneak peek into the Spanish way of life). We cannot wait to start making (more) things happen! 

Posted on

Read more news

  • AGEMERA Webinar for Teachers

    Teachers are invited on 5 December 2024 at 15:00 CET to join an exciting and informative session online, exploring the hidden world of minerals!
    We'll uncover how everyday items - like your fork - are connected to the critical minerals that power our lives, from energy to food production. You will get to...

    • Explore the growing global demand for resources in a rapidly changing world

    • Learn how minerals are essentials in daily life, from the phone in your pocket to the food on your plate

    • Understand the challenges of mining and why sustainability is crucial

    • Discover the importance of circular economy and urban mining for 
a more sustainable future
    Read more
  • CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: AGEMERA joint session at EGU25

    We invite you to apply for the AGEMERA joint session at the European Geoscience Union (EGU) flagship event in Vienna 
    Read more
  • AGEMERA workshop gathers 80 high school students in Estonia

    Youngsters learned about the omnipresence of critical raw materials in their day-to-day lives and discussed the ways to recycle them for a circular economy
    Read more
  • AGEMERA joins the European Sustainable Mining & Innovation Network (ESMIN)

    Together with sister projects, we founded a network that works towards responsible mining
    Read more
  • AGEMERA, part of the 34th Annual General Meeting and Conference: The Society of Mining Professors in Sydney

    Our partners from TU Bergakademie Freiberg contributed to the Education, Research, Development, and Industry sessions at the AGMC conference.
    Read more
  • AGEMERA workshop in Sofia (17 Sept): Final agenda

    Join the AGEMERA workshop in the Bulgarian capital to learn more about the novel geophysical methods used in identifying and leveraging the potential of critical and strategic raw materials and meet experts on the field 
    Read more
  • AGEMERA partners go to Alicante for EUROCK 2024

    Our Polish colleagues lost no time this summer - in fact, they took part in two major events in July where they presented our work on data processing, fusion, and sharing (data that we collected in our field work)
    Read more
  • AGEMERA present at the 11th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the Minerals Industry

    One of our partners joined the conference in Torino to present the questionnaires we developed and conducted in five countries to gain a better understanding on local perceptions of mining and mineral exploration
    Read more
  • AGEMERA partners meet in Tallinn

    The partners working on raising awareness of critical raw materials and assessing local acceptance of mining in our regions of focus met in the Estonian capital to plan for the months ahead and identify potential challenges 
    Read more
  • Polish partners take AGEMERA to two different events

    Representatives from our KGHM Cuprum have joined two separate events in June, an opportunity they used to promote the project and its preliminary results 
    Read more