On 8–9 September 2026, the third meeting of the international EMRIE project – European Mining Regions Innovation Ecosystems, carried out under the Interreg Europe programme, took place in Kajaani, Finland. The Polish delegation comprised representatives from Lower Silesia and the Wrocław University of Technology, including Dr Magdalena Worsa-Kozak from the Digital Mining Center (DMC) team.
In the context of the European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and the green transition, cooperation at the regional level is becoming increasingly important, including the exchange of experiences regarding the circular economy and the efficient use of mineral resources.
On the first day, during the Learning Café session, the partners analyzed good practices from Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and Finland. Lower Silesia and the Wrocław University of Technology presented a regional approach based on investment in education. The ‘Competent in the Industry’ programme, successfully implemented by KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. since 2018, was presented, as was the inter-departmental Master’s programme at Wrocław University of Technology in the field of urban mining. Examples from the Swedish Örebro/Bergslagen region proved particularly interesting: the use of alkaline sludge from the paper industry to neutralize and remediate historical mining waste, and the development of a regional innovation ecosystem based on artificial intelligence and automation in mining.
On the second day, participants visited the Terrafame mine in Sotkamo, the largest facility of its kind in Europe. They learned about the bioleaching process and the production of nickel sulfate for electric car batteries, on a scale sufficient to meet the demand of approximately 1 million vehicles per year.
A meeting with the Polish project stakeholders will soon take place at the Faculty of Geoengineering, Mining and Geology, focusing on the conclusions from Kajaani and preparations for the next project meeting, which will be hosted by Lower Silesia.
We would like to thank our hosts at the Regional Council of Kainuu for the smooth running of the meeting and the organization of the field visit.
