March 30, 2023
The Chair ANEFA on Aggregate Technology for Sustainability will be a reference platform in first-level training for professionals in the raw materials sector.
The Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and the National Association of Aggregate Manufacturers (ANEFA) have signed a collaboration agreement for the creation of the ANEFA Chair on Aggregate Technology for Sustainability, which is assigned to the Higher Technical School of Mining and Energy Engineers (ETSIME).
The aggregates sector is the first in the extractive industry in terms of production volume with 81.42% of the total rocks and minerals.
On March 27, the presentation ceremony of the ANEFA Chair on Aggregate Technology for Sustainability was held in the ETSIME-UPM Senate.
The Rector of the UPM, Guillermo Cisneros Pérez, participated in the event; the Director of the School, Francisco Javier Elorza Tenreiro; the Director of the Chair and Professor of the university; Carlos López Jimeno and the president of ANEFA, Ramón Ruberte Auré.
Likewise, the president of ANEFA presented a plaque to the Professor, and former Director of the Chair, Dulce Gómez-Limón in gratitude for her dedication, involvement and dedication in the training of great professionals in the aggregates sector.
The purpose of this initiative is to enable the joint implementation of activities and projects on matters that are of interest to ANEFA (National Association of Aggregate Manufacturers) and to the UPM and that contribute to scientific and technological development in the area of technology. of aggregates for sustainability. The creation of this Chair is carried out with the ultimate goal of contributing to the sustainable development of society as a whole, since the activities and advances in this matter will undoubtedly benefit the common interest.
The aggregates sector is one of the main fields within mining, which is why, with increasing intensity, it demands well-qualified professionals to face new challenges, such as digitalization, climate change, the circular economy and corporate social responsibility. This, therefore, makes aggregate mining a field of activity in which new ETSIME-UPM graduates can find a future of great job interest. For this reason, this Chair is conceived, and sets as its objective, to promote access to it both for ETSIME-UPM students and for active workers in the sector who want to update their knowledge in various subjects. Access to specialized, permanently updated and innovative training in the field of aggregates that includes the latest technological advances is essential for the creators of this Chair.
In the words of Ramón Ruberte, president of ANEFA, during his speech at the presentation event: "The aggregates industry demonstrates every day its ability to adapt and successfully face all the challenges that have crossed our path, thanks to "the strength of the companies, their entrepreneurs, their technicians and even the last worker and, likewise, our strategic character as a supplier of raw materials and basic products for construction and industry." The Rector of the UPM, Guillermo Cisneros, for his part, highlighted that this Chair is "the maximum exponent of a trust placed by both parties and we are delighted that this long history continues to be projected into the future for the benefit of our students and the society in general."
Thus, the fields of action of the chair will be:
· Training activities. Development of educational cooperation programs, granting of scholarships to students for the completion of doctoral theses and final degree and master's degree projects.
· R&D&i activities. Carrying out research projects in the area of aggregate technology and seeking funding and partners to carry out projects.
· Knowledge dissemination and transfer activities through technical and technological dissemination sessions and meetings of experts in the field of aggregate technology and sustainability and publications.
· In addition, within the framework of this Chair, specialization courses focused on professionals in the sector in different branches are also carried out. In fact, one has already been carried out, specifically the Specialist Course in Economic Management of Aggregate Exploitations, and the next one will take place at the beginning of May with a theme related to energy efficiency in aggregate exploitations.
The importance of training, innovation and continuous improvement is one of the main vectors of ANEFA and the entire aggregates sector in Spain. Something that is demonstrated, in addition to this Chair, by the European leadership of this association at the head of various projects financed by the European Commission: DigiEcoQuarry (which is part of Horizon 2020), Rotate (within the framework of Horizon Europe) or Aging@Work.
More photographs at the following link: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAxD5z
