Objective
Estimates indicate that the value of unexploited European mineral resources at a depth of 500-1,000 metres is ca €100 billion, however, a number of physical, economic, social, environmental and human constraints have as yet limited their exploitation.
¡VAMOS! will provide a new Safe, Clean and Low Visibility Mining Technique and will prove its Economic Viability for extracting currently unreachable mineral deposits, thus encouraging investment and helping to put the EU back on a level playing field in terms of access to strategically important minerals. Deriving from successful deep-sea mining techniques, the ¡VAMOS! mining solution aspires to lead to: Re-opening abandoned mines; Extensions of opencut mines which are limited by stripping ratio, hydrological or geotechnical problems; and opening of new mines in the EU.
¡VAMOS! will design and manufacture innovative automated excavation equipment and environmental impact monitoring tools that will be used to perform field tests in a number of mine sites across Europe with a range of rock hardness and pit morphology. VAMOS will:
1.Develop a prototype underwater, remotely controlled, mining machine with associated launch and recovery equipment
2.Enhance currently available underwater sensing, spatial awareness, navigational and positioning technology
3.Provide an integrated solution for efficient Real-time Monitoring of Environmental Impact
4.Conduct field trials with the prototype equipment in abandoned and inactive mine sites with a range of rock types and at a range of submerged depths
5.Evaluate the productivity and and cost of operation to enable mine-ability and economic reassessment of the EU's mineral resources.
6. Maximize impact and enable the Market Up-Take of the proposed solutions by defining and overcoming the practicalities of the concept, proving the operational feasibility and the economic viability.
7. Contribute to the social acceptance of the new extraction technique via public demonstrations in EU regions.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
TW11 8LZ Teddington
United Kingdom
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Participants (19)
NE28 6UZ Wallsend Tyne And Wear
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3861 NE Nijkerk
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
4202 MS Gorinchem
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4200 465 Porto
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OX10 9RB Wallingford
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97074 Wurzburg
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
8700 Leoben
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4715 199 Braga
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TR11 4SL Falmouth
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Participation ended
1070-248 Lisboa
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8740 Zeltweg
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1000 Ljubljana
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38787 Santa Cruz De La Palma
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1000 Bruxelles / Brussel
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Participation ended
6718 ZD Ede
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71210 Ilidza
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71330 Vares
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2985 AZ Ridderkerk
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
OX10 9RB Wallingford
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