Inaugurated on Tuesday, February 12, the chair was created with the aim of promoting collaboration between the university and the company through a program that includes training, research, scholarships, internships and aid for studies in mining exploitation. This is a strategic union, with a long-term vision, through which both parties benefit from the results of the research, training and commitment of those involved in the project.
2018/2019 Course Report - Download report in pdf file
Last year, 2018-2019, Epiroc and the Higher Technical School of Mining and Energy Engineering of Madrid (ETSI), of the Polytechnic University, the Epiroc Company Chair on Mining and Public Works Machinery and Systems was launched.
The chair consists of face-to-face courses aimed mainly at 3rd, 4th and recent graduate students, as well as postgraduate students from the Higher Technical School of Mining and Energy Engineers of Madrid and other Schools of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM). interested in the topics of these sessions. It is also aimed at teachers who wish to complement their training and professionals in the sector interested in mining exploitation.
Additionally, this initiative includes scholarships, prizes and internships:
- Award for the best Bachelor's degree (mining exploitation) with a prize of €1,000.
- Prize for the best Final Master's Project (mining exploitation), €1,500.
- Two scholarships to pursue the qualifying Master's Degree in Mining Engineering, amounting to €2,500 each.
- Sponsorship of a project of the chair, chosen by Ricardo Laín (Professor of the Department of Geological Engineering and Mining), with an endowment of €2,000.
- A trip to Sweden that includes a visit to the Epiroc facilities.
- Two four-month paid internship positions at Epiroc Spain.
Two training sessions were held last year:
- Equipment and Technical Solutions for interior work, given on April 5 by Ignacio Hernaiz (Underground Rock Excavation Business Line Manager) and José Botella (Rock Drilling Tools Business Line Manager), which was attended by 36 students.
- AND Equipment and Technical Solutions for surface work, which took place on May 17 with the participation of Fernando Menéndez (Surface and Exploration Drilling Business Line Manager), Eva Hernández (Key Account Manager) and Fernando Martins (Regional Business Manager Drilling Solutions for Europe, Middle East and Africa). Course attended by 33 students.
In addition, from April 23 to 25, a student trip to the Epiroc facilities in Örebro (Sweden), along with Eva Hernández as representative of Epiroc Spain. During those days, the URE factory was visited to learn about the work of the division, its products and how the innovative Control Tower works. There was also a visit to the SED factory, where surface and exploration products were presented, and a tour of Epiroc's headquarters in Stockholm.
Of all the students who participated in the chair, Nicolás Povo García-Romeral and José Martínez-Fortún López (Mining Engineering) have joined the Epiroc Spain team on internships. In a first fellowship (from May 6 to August 31), the first analyzed and filtered information about the Volta project and the second translated repair manuals. Currently, from September 11 to February 11, 2020, Nicolás will be supporting the MRS division, investigating the exploitation of a mine to demonstrate that it can be exploited and preparing graphics. Meanwhile, José will work for URE in analysis and comparison of bolts, carrying out studies of bolts that are changing due to problems in their initial measurement.
