Twinning Project ENeRAG – an Opportunity for Mutual Growth
The Excellency Network Building for Comprehensive Research and Assessment of Geofluids” (ENeRAG) project started on fall 2018 through cooperation between Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), University of Milan (UMIL) and Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) and with support of external partners. The aim of the project is to upgrade the expertise of ELTE in the fields of geofluids through an innovative approach that relates diverse aspects of geofluids application. Geoenergy, ground water and hydrothermal minerals have been the three main pillars around the growing expertise.
In the project we planned plenty of activities like student and personnel exchanges, short courses and field courses as well as participation and organization of events. So ENeRAG partners would have had face to face teaching and hands on opportunities that normally are difficult to be realized.
Plans got anyway affected by the spread of the pandemic and the project got a new twist in its realization. In a phase where face to face happenings had not been possible, the best emerged from the worst. We all learned to use remote meeting tools. Having all to face basic challenges in the same period brought up a comrade spirit while learning new platforms, handling new kind of working days and modes of interrelations. New opportunities came out from the difficult situation, in the specific the courses first planned to be realized internally within ENeRAG partners, have been opened up for free to the public. Online workshop that we realized on topics of:
- Environmental Isotope Tracers in Hydrogeological Applications,
- Shallow geothermal energy: from the ground to buildings, from the field to modelling,
- Knowledge transfer for modelling shallow bedrock energy utilization
- Mineral resources in hydrothermal mineral systems,
attracted hundreds of participants from around the world.
Project partners coupled by invited expert speakers who also came from the practical fields of work, merged theory and application for all-round education. The adaptation to the new type of training has generated the creation of valuable educational material, which not only presents theoretical aspects but also demos on open access tools and videos on field and laboratory methodologies applied in the sectors.
Figure 2. Isotope analyses process of O&H with Picarro- virtual tour. Figure 3. Participants could enjoy a virtual tour by Turku Region Water Ltd to the MAR plant that has been presented to the workshop and that is not public for security reasons. Figure 4. Video on GTK’s mobile geoenergy unit activity was also shown. Figure 5. About minerals, demos of the online tool MPM has been saved within the video captures of the workshop on mineral resources in hydrothermal mineral systems.
The workshops have been an opportunity for creating new contacts and for sharing knowledge at international level but also an opportunity of mutual growth. More than 20 lecturers from GTK, 2 from UMIL, 1 from ELTE and 19 external partners have cooperated in the realization of the workshops.
The last event of the project goes beyond the workshops done until now. It consists of two week winter school on “Improving skills in conservative and reactive transport modelling”. Content will introduce mathematical models for flow and transport in geological media, present stochastic transport modelling and risk assessment aspects, teach the use of multi-domain upscaling modelling tools and applied reactive transport modelling using multicomponent geochemical systems.
Take part in winter school
The corresponding summer school run in the beginning of ENeRAG project involved only the partners in direct teaching and field trips. Now it is realized online, free of charge and open to public. The event will be held between 20 and 30 September 2021, it is organized by UMIL and GTK and benefit from internationally recognized invited lecturers. Registration closes by 10 September 2021 and we wish as large international participation as for the previous events.
This is still an opportunity of common development where we are keen to be participating.
Nike Luodes, Research Scientist, Geological Survey of Finland
ENeRAG ‘Excellency Network Building for Comprehensive Research and Assessment of Geofluids project is a twinning project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, which aims at institutional networking. Learn more from the project’s web site.
ELTE is the project coordinator. Supporting partners: Turku Region Water Ltd. (Finland), CAP Holding S.p.A. (Italy), EU-Fire Ltd. (Hungary), PannErgy Plc. (Hungary), General Directorate of Water Management (Hungary), Mining and Geological Survey of Hungary (Hungary), Budapest Spas Plc. (Hungary)
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 810980.
