Mitsubishi renews sponsorship of ACSMP

UNSW Engineering’s mining research centre, the Australian Centre for Sustainable Mining Practices (ACSMP), has received its largest ever grant from Mitsubishi Development. 

Mitsubishi’s contribution of $1.5 million to the Centre will be used to develop ACSMP’s research profile, scholarships programs and supporting staff salaries.

Associate Professor David Laurence from UNSW Mining Engineering said that Mitsubishi showed a lot of long-term foresight, initiative and commitment to the cause of sustainable mining by renewing their funding with the Centre.

“The first tranche of $1.2 million was given by Mitsubishi in 2009 during a very similar stage of the business cycle,” said David.  “Even though we are now at the end of a very strong resource cycle, where commodity prices are low and redundancies are happening, they still see the lasting benefits of aligning with UNSW and the Centre.”

Although ACSMP is only small, employing six staff members and supporting a handful of PhD students, it has rapidly established an international profile.

“The Centre is the first of its kind in the world. It focuses on sustainable mining practices and is built around five dimensions.” The first three are well established from the field of sustainable development: economic development, environmental leading practice and community engagement. The remaining two, health and safety and resource efficiency, have been added by the Centre and are very important in the discipline.

The Australian Centre for Sustainable Mining Practices has authored a number of publications, including an Australian government leading practice guide to sustainable development in mining which has gone through three reprints and is in demand around the world; and has already been translated into five languages.

 “The handbook looks at the ‘big picture’ of sustainable development and puts it into straightforward actions for mine operators. It’s a wonderful resource that ACSMP has pioneered and it is recognised all around the globe.” said David.

A principal focus of the Centre is teaching. “We do a lot of teaching; undergraduate teaching, postgraduate teaching and professional development programs for organisations, trying to make them aware of the importance of sustainable development.”

Teaching sustainable mining practices is of extreme importance to the industry. “Traditional skills that mining engineers have been equipped with were mostly technical skills, which are very important, but it is also the so-called ‘softer skills’, such as being able to communicate with the public and get their support  that is also essential.”

The Centre is heavily involved in what David calls “training the trainer”. “Part of what we do is build capacity, so myself and others at ACSMP go out into the developing world, mostly working with universities to build up the quality of the curriculum and staff.”

David said that mining is one of the main avenues, if done correctly and responsibly, that can alleviate poverty in the developing world. “That’s the reason why the Centre exists. We believe that we can develop the world’s resources responsibility to help society.

“New resources are being discovered in the developing world, but people there don’t have the skills. Companies see the Centre as a resource to train and get local people up-to-speed.”

Over the past few years ACSMP has been involved in a number of ground-breaking projects such as the Laboratory for Imaging of the Mining Environment (LIME). The laboratory is engaged in developing applications of remote sensing for mining by using satellite based, airborne, UAV based and ground based sensors. 

David has stepped-down from his position of Chair as he moves into semi-retirement. “We have conducted an international search for the new Mitsubishi Chair and should be announcing my successor very soon,” he said. “This will be the next stage in the evolution of the ACSMP.”