Research Projects towards an Innovative, Digitalised, and Responsible Extractive Industry: Examples from the Chair of Mining Engineering and Mineral Economics

Abstract Within the current digitalisation trend across industries, new technologies are reshaping the different stages of the mining life cycle. In this context, one of the focuses of the Chair of Mining Engineering and Mineral Economics of Montanuniversität Leoben is to promote and contribute to the implementation of multi-actor research projects to foster the adoption and development of new technologies in the minerals sector. Bringing the recent developments with practical needs and requirements from the industry closer together is critical to continue advancing towards more responsible extractive practices. As part of this effort, three EU-funded projects in which the Chair has significant participation are described in this article: S34I, focused on promoting further application of earth observation technologies in the mining industry; DigiEcoQuarry, a digitalisation initiative in the aggregate sector seeking to enhance environmental, economic, safety, and social aspects of quarries in Europe; and MaDiTraCe, a project aimed at integrating advanced digital and material traceability technologies to face the challenges of traceability in critical raw materials supply chains, greater transparency and accountability in the extraction and processing of mineral resources. All three projects advance the vision and strategy of the Chair by promoting digitalisation and integration of innovative approaches. Furthermore, their synergies lay the foundation for prospective projects and future industry-academia collaborations.