Exploration Information System (EIS) proposal has been compiled by a consortium, which consists of 18 partners from leading research institutes (4), academia (5), service providers (4) and industry (4). The consortium members come from six European Union member states (FI, FR, DE, ES, CZ, SE) and South Africa. One associate member of the consortium comes from Brazil. This consortium represents the main metal producing regions of Europe: Fennoscandian Shield, Iberian Pyrite Belt and Central European Belt. These economically most important metallogenic belts of the EU have diverse geology with evident potential for different types of new mineral resource. The mineral deposits in these belts are the most feasible sources of critical, high-tech and other economically important metals in the EU. Furthermore, the project has reference sites in South Africa and Brazil. The project consortium has also a vast international collaboration network, e.g. 50% of the Advisory Board members have been invited from outside EU. EIS will develop new data analysis methods by applying artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning into mineral prospectivity mapping together with new geomodels and mineral systems modelling. Methods developed reduce the current high exploration costs and improve the accuracy of the targeting of the early phase exploration. This makes mineral exploration responsible in terms of energy efficiency or minimizing footprint of mineral exploration on nature as the aim is to make most out of the already existing exploration data. Project will apply UNFC code to harmonize the diverse population of mineral deposits and occurrences which will be used as training sites and validation data sets in prospectivity mapping for critical raw materials within EU. In addition, tools will be tested for secondary raw materials prospectivity. Project will also raise awareness of general public on the importance of critical raw materials to the EU's economy and welfare.

NEXT proposal has been compiled by a pan-European consortium, which consists of 16 partners from leading research institutes (3), academia (3), service providers (5) and industry (5). The members come from 6 EU member states (Fi, FR, DE, MT, ES and SE) and represent the main metal producing regions of Europe, Fennoscncian Shield, Iberian Pyrite Belt and Central European Belt. These economically most important metallogenic belts of the EU have diverse geology with evident potential for different types of new mineral resource. The mineral deposits in these belts are the most feasible sources of critical, high-tech and other economically important metals in the EU. The project consortium has also a vast international collaboration network, e.g. 50% of the Advisory Board members have been invited from outside EU. In addition to the variable geology, the vulnerability of the environment and the glacial sedimentary cover in the Arctic regions of northern Europe, and the thick weathering crust and more densely populated nature of the target areas in the Iberian and Central European belts influence the mineral exploration in different ways. The social conditions in potential benefits and challenges also vary. Therefore the new environmentally sound exploration concepts and technologies will be optimized and tested on diverse mineral deposit types. NEXT will develop new geomodels, novel sensitive exploration technologies and data analysis methods which together are fast, cost-effective, environmentally safe and socially accepted. Methods developed reduce the current high exploration costs and enhance participation of civil society from the start of exploration, raising awareness and trust. Moreover, the reduced environmental impact of the new technologies and better knowledge about the factors influencing social licensing will help promote social acceptance of both exploration and mining and therefore support the further development of Europe´s extractive industry.

The Goldeneye project will implement a unique combination of remote sensing and positioning technologies, exploiting Earth observation and Earth GNSS data, together with data fusion and processing powered by data analytics and machine-learning algorithms. The platform will allow satellites, drones and in-situ sensors to collect high-resolution data of the entire mine, which can be processed and converted into actionable intelligence for safety, environmental monitoring and overall productivity, allowing more efficient exploration, extraction and closure. These tools will be demonstrated in 5 field trials in Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Kosovo and Finland, creating a compelling value proposition for implementation across the mining industry value chain. The project has a duration of 3 years and an EC funding of €8.36M. The consortium includes a large industrial partner, 7 SMEs, 4 academic/research centres and 4 end-users, supported by a strong advisory board of experts in geosciences.

S34I will research and innovate new data-driven methods to analyse Earth Observation (EO) data, supporting systematic mineral exploration and continuous monitoring of extraction, closure and post-closure activities with the aim to increase European knowledge and autonomy on raw materials resources. S34I uses EO not only for the management of technical and environmental issues for a green transition but also to support mining's social acceptance (SLO) and better legislation. Innovative EO-based products/services will provide new or more accurate RM mineral mapping/exploration, environmental and mine monitoring and mine safety, at different phases of the mine life cycle. S34I will exploit Copernicus and other satellite sensors (optical and radar), while other platforms as airborne, low-altitude platforms, ground-based, in-situ techniques/methods, and fieldwork will serve either for calibration, validation or to complement Copernicus data especially at the very high scale spatial or spectral resolution. S34I will provide 6 new open high added value datasets, 14 new methods to analyze EO data using Artificial Intelligence being utilized at different phases of the mining life cycle, 3 new prototyped EO based services for mining stakeholders, 1 research and innovation agenda on EO for mining, a set of recommendations for better policy, and guidelines for EO uptake by the mining industry. S34I results will be validated at six different locations in different phases of the mining life-cycle: (i) land exploration in Spain; (ii) coastal exploration at the Iberian Peninsula Atlantic coast; iii) extraction phase in Austria and; iv) closure/post-closure phase in Finland and Germany. S34I is an EU wide interdisciplinary and complementary team embracing partners from 11 countries and with a 50/50 balance between industrial and research profiles. S34I mining stakeholders will lead the path towards mining de-carbonization while creating social and economic impact through EO uptake.

The project consortium of DeepBEAT aims to develop ground-breaking technologies to use geochemistry for the detection of deep-seated land deposits. Transforming Europe's exploration sector by integrating cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices will push Europe towards a climate-neutral and socially responsible economy. The exploration of deep land deposits should employ environmentally friendly, socially acceptable, and ultra-low impact methodologies to ensure the citizens that exploration activities can be conducted responsibly. Acceptance to exploration and mining will be a cornerstone towards cultivating a more resilient and inclusive European society. DeepBEAT final outcome will be a workflow which addresses these aspects by two means: I) DeepBEAT plans to engage with the local communities at the test sites to learn about concerns, hesitancy and what is the emotional core of these. Experiences from these events will be included in exploration workflow as an integral part, following the principles of free, prior, informed consent, which requires to interact with communities at a very early stage. II) DeepBEAT proposes ten novel technological developments, all designed to minimize impact on environment and maximise sustainability. These research and innovation developements have the potential to push the limits of surface geochemical exploration to an other level. They comprise a) new insights to ultra-high resolution analytical chemistry, b) increasing sampling strategy efficiency, c) introducing ground-breaking new concepts of dealing with elemental measurement data, d) reducing exploration costs by sample selection, e) testing novel phyto-geochemical media, and f) introducing UAV assisted biogeochemical sampling. Detailed understanding of the deposits complement the workflow to allow the understanding of the mineralizations as part of mineral systems and AI-assisted 3D mineral prospectivity modelling.