MinExTarget “Enhanced Use of Heavy Mineral Chemistry in Exploration Targeting” is an EIT RawMaterials KIC Upscaling project. Upscaling projects are intended to bring new raw materials related technologies, processes or services towards market.
In order to ensure successful commercialization of the new service developed for the mineral exploration, a spin-off company MinExTarget Ltd was established on 16th December 2020.
The shareholders of the MinExTarget Ltd are the project participants from Palsatech Ltd and CRS Laboratories.
The total budget of MinExTarget is over 3 million euros for three years and it is coordinated by Geological Survey of Finland (GTK).
What is EIT?
EIT stands for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. It is an EU funding organization created in 2008 to strengthen Europe’s ability to innovate. EIT RawMaterials (EIT RM) is essential part of the EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC). It is the biggest consortium in the raw materials sector globally with more than 120 core and associate partners and over 190 project partners from leading industry, universities and research organizations from over 20 EU countries
Funding and consortium partners
EIT RMfunding for MinExTarget is approximately 2,4 million euro. The MinExTarget consortium consists of nine partners from research organizations, universities, mineral exploration and consulting SMEs from Finland, Denmark, Norway and Poland. The partners are: AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland; CRS Laboratories Oy, Finland; Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland – GEUS; Mawson Oy, Finland; Palsatech Oy, Finland; University of Oulu: Business School and Mining School, Finland and University of Tromsø – Arctic University of Norway
MinExTarget concept
Recognition and interpretation of geochemical and mineralogical anomalies that have been inherited from primary metallic mineral deposits in sediments is a widely used tool in mineral exploration. The new, innovative concept of the MinExTarget is that the primary sources of those anomalies can be better targeted and qualified by the determination of associations and concentrations of trace elements together with stable and radiogenic isotope compositions in selected types of heavy mineral grains. This approach is based on the introduction of automated electron-optical and laser ablation inductively couple mass spectroscopic analytical methods into the everyday practice of characterization of heavy mineral separates. The test areas of the project are located in terrains with diverse types of metallic mineral deposits in Northern and Eastern Europe and Greenland.
Expected benefits
Expected benefits from MinExTarget are 1) New exploration tool that gives better targeting capacities in the early stages of mineral exploration, 2) Better exploration targeting may increase the social acceptance of mineral exploration (Social License to Explore – SLE) in sensitive areas, 3) Multidisciplinary education of future generation of experts, as well as transfer of knowledge to the next generation researchers and 4) New network of experts and valuable contacts for future projects.
Further information:
Scientific Coordinator, Hugh O’Brien hugh.obrien@gtk.fi
Project Manager, Juha Kaija juha.kaija@gtk.fi
