Research Coordination Objectives

Development of a common understanding of and definitions for mining the anthroposphere.

• Actuate the reporting of material resources/reserves in anthropogenic deposits as is already common for geogenic deposits today.
• Comparison of present methods to investigate and evaluate materials in selected anthropogenic deposits and waste flows.
• Coordination of information search and data collection, especially for data sets and statistics not available for research groups due to language barriers and a lack of national contacts.
• Comparison and harmonization of practices, standards and guidelines for a comprehensive and sustainable recovery of materials from wastes.
• Enhancement of the EU knowledge base on secondary materials.
• Input to policy makers and regulators on the resource potential in the anthroposphere.
• Dissemination of a knowledge base and results to the general public and to stakeholders.

Capacity-building Objectives

• Foster knowledge exchange and the development of a joint research agenda in terms of mining the anthroposphere.
• Pool experts from currently separated fields (e.g. geologists, resource economists, chemists, engineers, metallurgists, environmental scientists) to consolidate knowledge for exploring and evaluating anthropogenic material stocks and to achieve a breakthrough in terms of resource/reserve classification.
• Involve special target groups: a) new research groups focusing on the exploration of anthropogenic deposits, b) Early Career Investigators (ECI), b) under-represented gender, d) experts from countries with less capacity in the field of waste and resource management.
• Entrust ECI from less research-intensive countries and under-represented gender with leadership roles under their own responsibility and mentorship of senior professionals.
• Foster mutual exchange of knowledge between researchers by means of Short-Term-Scientific Missions (STSM).
• Train PhD students and experts in terms of investigation, evaluation and classification of materials in anthropogenic deposits/waste flows.
• Involve PhD students in international joint research programs as well as in Conferences, Workshops and Training Schools.