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Activity Funded

Center for Natural Resources and Environment

Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente

Reference
UIDB/04028/2020
Project Start Date
2020-01-01
Project End Date
2024-12-31
Principal Investigator
Scientific Area
Engineering and technology
Funding Program
Concurso de avaliação no âmbito do Programa Plurianual de Financiamento de Unidades de I&D (2017/2018) - Financiamento Base

Abstract

10.2 Summary in English for general dissemination purposes CERENA's mission is to develop excellent research related to the sustainable use of natural resources, including energy, primary and secondary raw materials, as well as their impact on the environment. CERENA uses an approach that is simultaneously integrative, multidisciplinary and multi-scale, from the molecular level to the planetary scale, where researchers from different scientific fields - earth, chemical and material engineering - converge towards the same objectives. We are committed to finding solutions to current societal challenges, including those related to climate action, environment, health, raw materials and resource, efficiency and, safe, clean and efficient energy, in order to contribute to achieving the goals of sustainable development. Currently, CERENA has 63 integrated researchers, 51 PhD students and 40 collaborators, aggregated in three main scientific areas of application - Raw Materials, Environment and Energy. Advanced training and initiation to research is one of the main activities. For the next few years, we have a strategy to strengthen our team by recruiting and attracting young talents. We will continue to support the participation of our young researchers in professional and scientific associations and in international competitions. Given the size and high level of activity we plan to recruit a PhD researcher dedicated to the management of communication and implementation in the coming years of the national open science policy in CERENA. The research carried out at CERENA is mainly applied and experimental, with the support of 4 Core Labs: GeoLab, ChemLab and ITLab at IST and the Geo-Resources and Geo-Environment Lab at FEUP. We plan to expand our infrastructure and create a Multi-scale Imaging laboratory from the nanometer scale to the kilometer scale. Our geoscience and geoengineering laboratories are part of the C4G, a national scientific infrastructure, and we are partners of Portugal Mineral Resources Cluster, collaborating with other R&D units, institutions and companies. All our laboratories are prepared to serve the scientific community, industry and society in general. CERENA will continue to collaborate with the industry in search of more sustainable, eco-innovative and competitive engineering solutions from a circular economy perspective. We will also continue to expand our network of international partnerships and promote the participation and hosting conferences and, international mobility of our researchers to broadeninternational scientific collaborations and obtain competitive funding. Finally, we will continue to promote scientific culture, particularly among the younger generation through the implementation of scientific dissemination activities, in IST's geoscience museums or in collaboration with other institutions. 10.3 Summary in English for evaluation CERENA's goals are to develop research at the highest level of excellence related to the sustainable use of natural resources and other raw materials, including energy, as well as their impact on the environment. CERENA uses an approach that is simultaneously integrative, multidisciplinary and multi-scale, from the molecular level to the planetary scale. Researchers from different scientific fields - Earth, chemical and materials engineering - work together to achieve the same objectives by exploring the synergies that can arise from the combination of different knowledge areas. We are committed to finding solutions for current societal challenges, including those related to climate action, environment, health, raw materials and resource efficiency and, safe, clean and efficient energy, in order to contribute to achieving the goals of sustainable development and the progress towards a circular economy. CERENA will continue to collaborate with the industry in search of more sustainable, eco-innovative and competitive engineering solutions from a circular economy perspective, ie., rendering a more efficient use of raw materials, generating less waste along the process, using secondary raw-materials and resources and reducing the associated environmental impact. Currently, CERENA has 63 integrated researchers, 51 PhD students and 40 collaborators, aggregated in three main scientific areas of application - Raw Materials, Environment and Energy. Advanced training and initiation to research is one of the main activities. For the next few years, we have a strategy to strengthen our team by recruiting and attracting young talents. The plan proposes to contract of 1 Coordinator Researcher, 2 Principal Researchers, 4 Auxiliary Researchers and 4 Junior Researchers, the majority of them with a 50% co-funding share. These researchers will contribute to renovation of our team and will help developing our strategy in what concerns to endorse research to contribute to climate action, to pollution modelling and mitigation, to sustainable use of raw materials, to thrive alternative sources of energy and to developing eco-innovative materials, including bio-based. Simultaneously, we are proposing to constitute a Start-up fund to support our young researchers in implementing their development career plan. One of CERENA’s mission is to host young student’s by supporting and supervising their thesis. We are involved in the coordination of 5 Master Programmes and 5 PhD Programmes. Most of these postgraduate programmes run in close relation with national industry. A multi-year plan of PhD scholarships is here proposed. We are also participating in international partnerships, such is the case of the Competence Center for Mining-Engineering Education under the UNESCO auspices by the World Forum of Universities of Resources for Sustainability, and in international degrees, like the Advanced Mineral Resources Development International Master in collaboration with Montanuniversitaet Leoben and TU Bergakademie Freiberg. We plan to enlarge the number of international programmes in the upcoming years. We will continue to support the participation of our young researchers in professional and scientific associations and in international competitions. Given the size and high level of activity we will recruit a PhD researcher dedicated to the management of communication and to full implementation in the coming years of the national open science policy in CERENA. The research carried out at CERENA is mainly applied and experimental, with the support of 4 Core Labs: GeoLab, ChemLab and ITLab at IST and the Geo-Resources and Geo-Environment Lab at FEUP. We consider strategic to expand our experimental infrastructure and create a Multi-scale Imaging laboratory (ImagLab) from the nanometer scale to the kilometer scale. This will provide CERENA with unique capabilities in termsof imaging and characterization of materials (mineral and non-mineral) in Portugal and should serve all portuguese scientific community and industry. A sustainable management plan will be set to ensure long term running of the infrastructure, including contracting one laboratory technician. Our geoscience and geoengineering laboratories will continue part of the C4G, a national scientific infrastructure, which in turn will part of EPOS (Esfri Infrastructure). ImagLab will also be incorporated in C4G/EPOS. CERENA will continue to participate in other international networks, namely EURELCO, IETS, WRI-WG, CMTW-IAH, ANTPAS and PCC. We will actively look for opportunities to participate in other international networks. Besides we are partners of Portugal Mineral Resources Cluster, collaborating with other national R&D units, institutions and companies. The experimental work that is carried-out at CERENA is complemented by a strong area of modelling, which, again, covers the fields of action of CERENA in a multi-scale approach. All modelling activities are closely interlinked with the experimental activities. CERENA’s development has been closely linked to the society in all fields where our activity is carried-out and in particular in collaboration and support of the National and International industry. All our laboratories are prepared to serve the scientific community, industry and society in general, in terms of science and technology transfer and dissemination of scientific knowledge and culture. We will also continue to expand our network of international partnerships and promote the participation and hosting conferences and, international mobility of our researchers to broaden international scientific collaborations and obtain competitive funding. Finally, we will continue to promote scientific culture, particularly among the younger generation through the implementation of outreach activities. These activities will be carried-out by CERENA, within the activities of IST Geosciences Museums, or in collaboration with other institutions.

Institutions

Main Institutions

  • Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente (CERENA/IST-ID)
  • Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento (IST-ID)

Other Institutions

  • Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Engenharia (FEUP)

Funding 1.364.336,62 €

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Portugal

1.364.336,62 €