The ENeRAG presents itself
The launch of the three-year project was announced by Péter Szalay, Vice-Rector for Research at ELTE, on 27 November 2018. József Kovács, associate professor, Head of the Department of Physical and Applied Geology, Juha Kaija, a representative for the Geological Survey of Finland, and Corrado Camera (representing UMIL) greeted everyone who were present at the event. Afterwards, Judit Mádl-Szőnyi, associate professor and leader of the consortium, presented the professional background and the aims of the project.
The innovative idea of ENeRAG is a joint, dynamic system-level analysis of groundwater fluids of different origins, which fundamentally determines the possibilities of water management, geothermal energy utilisation, as well as the extraction and utilisation of mineral resources, and also contributes to the effective development of the technologies employed to extract them. An important goal of the project is to conjoin the research results and their application in practice with taking account of the needs of professional partners. Therefore, the representatives for industrial partners, including the Mining and Geological Survey of Hungary, the General Directorate of Water Management, and the GeoGold Kárpátia Ltd. also presented themselves at the event. Subsequently, the participants dealt with different topics in a round-table discussion. In the afternoon, the work programmes were demonstrated by the professional leaders, Ferenc Molnár (GTK), Marco Masetti (UMIL), and Anita Erőss (ELTE).
The primary objective of the consortium is that ELTE will become a centre of excellence in the field of geofluids by means of capacity development and network building.
In addition to the large number of professional participants, university students were also actively involved in the opening events. Thanks to the project, students will also be able to take part in student exchange programmes, international conferences, and further training. The workshop on innovation held on the third day of the event, was mainly organised for researchers, who were advised how to apply for and obtain project funding, and carry out research projects at an international level.
The departments of the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences at the ELTE Faculty of Science, including the Department of Physical and Applied Geology, as well as the teachers and students of the József and Erzsébet Tóth Endowed Hydrogeology Chair also had an opportunity to present themselves at the event and give short presentations about their latest research results in their respective research areas. The Department of Mineralogy reported on their study into hydrothermal ore formation processes, whereas the Department of Geophysics and Space Science demonstrated their geothermal investigations. Foreign partners could learn about the geological and hydrogeological features of the Buda Thermal Karst System and visited the cavity of Ősforrás Spring at the foot of Gellért Hill. Next, they were informed about the results of the in-situ experiments carried out at the spring, aimed at a better understanding of biological and chemical leaching processes. Finally, they could take a look at the mineral formations in the Aragonite Cave.
For further information about the goals and events of the project, please visit our website enerag.elte.hu.