Introduction
Our modern lifestyle relies on raw materials. From the iron and steel of our railway infrastructure to the gold and silver in the circuitry of smartphones: raw materials are everywhere. Even the transition to a climate-neutral future requires cobalt for electric vehicles, lithium for rechargeable batteries, silicon for photovoltaics and solar panels, and rare earth elements for wind turbines that generate renewable energy.
As the world grows smaller and more hyper-connected, the impact of society on Earth has never been more visible. It is now devastatingly clear that our planet’s finite resources have been used irresponsibly. But what can just one individual do to help? More than you think! Real change requires courage, innovative thinking, and collective action – the same skill set that EIT RawMaterials Academy looks for in prospective students. Are you ready to mine your raw talent, help shape a more circular global economy, and create sustainable solutions for tomorrow?
What do we offer students?
EIT RawMaterials Academy offers students a unique opportunity to learn in a dynamic environment, focusing on real-life challenges. Awarded by the EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology), a body of the European Union, the EIT Label is a certificate of quality that is granted only to excellent educational programmes at the master and doctoral level.
As a student of an EIT-Labelled programme from EIT RawMaterials Academy, you’ll be part of the largest European raw materials network with more than 120 core and associate partners and 180 project partners, including higher education professionals, researchers, and industry experts from over 20 European countries. As an EIT Label student, you will be welcomed into this network and will champion and contribute to the EIT RawMaterials goals of finding new, innovative solutions to secure the sustainable supply of raw materials across the value chain: from exploration, mining and extraction, to mineral processing, recycling and the movement towards a circular economy. EIT RawMaterials aims to equip a new generation of innovators in Europe with the necessary entrepreneurial mindset for designing and delivering materials solutions. You’ll also get the chance to collaborate internationally and develop sustainable solutions to pressing economic, environmental and societal challenges. And long after you graduate, you can stay connected via EIT RawMaterials Alumni.
What to expect?
Thesis internship placements at leading European companies
Membership of the EIT RawMaterials Alumni community
‘Learning by doing’ with challenge-based courses that focus on real-life problems
Study tours and visits to innovative companies and industrial sites
Exciting new ways of learning: online courses, virtual and augmented reality and MOOCs
Courses designed to nurture start-up ideas with accelerators and incubators
Course modules dedicated to entrepreneurship and innovation skills
EIT RawMaterials Innovation support: business plan competitions, innovation bootcamps, seed funding
Expertise in a raw materials discipline – a comprehensive understanding of the entire raw materials value chain
EIT RawMaterials summer schools and interdisciplinary courses
European mobility – study in at least two European countries
The Challenge
Effective exploration and discovery of new primary Raw Materials are of great importance for securing future supplies in the global economy. Within this context, one of the global challenges is the creation of the next generation of resource specialists within the raw materials world. These specialists must have extensive knowledge of primary raw materials, broad competences and skills in identifying and characterising raw materials in the anthroposphere (e.g. tailings, landfills, or in-use stocks), and sensitivity to pressing managerial and business challenges that the effective exploration of raw materials poses. Understanding the
large-scale, socio-economic metabolism underlying the complex raw materials value chain is of vital importance for geologists and all other professionals working with raw materials. Consequently, there is an increasing need to broaden research and educational perspectives to secure future supplies.
Following this approach, RaMES is an MSc degree that blends a Resource Geology curriculum with subjects devoted to the exploration and the deployment of raw materials as a sustainable process.
Diploma
The master‘s programme delivers a Diploma Supplement from The University of Bologna. The programme will award graduates an EIT Label Certificate in addition to the Master’s Degree.
Credits
120 ECTS, 24 months
Language of Instruction
English
Starts in
October 2021
Requirements
Eligible candidates must have a bachelor degree in Geology, Earth sciences, Mining engineering, Environmental engineering or similar. Candidates must also demonstrate proficiency in the English language.
Tuition fees
€4,080/year. Fees may be lower depending on family income.
Application Period
Check our website
Scholarships
For students beginning in September 2021, EIT Label scholarships from EIT RawMaterials of €13,500 per eligible student are available. For information on how EIT Label scholarships will be awarded and who is eligible, please contact the coordinating university directly: info@rames-master.eu
"I chose RaMES because I believe that raw materials represent a sector that in the coming years will be fundamental to meet the new challenges of society. The international perspective of the course, and its ability to provide a holistic approach to raw materials, are characteristics that make this course completely different and innovative compared to a classic MSc in Geology."
— Luca, Italy
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training
This training is provided by the Entrepreneurship and Business Models and Mineral Resource Economics and Management courses. These show first-hand how entrepreneurship is both a process and a mindset, and this is achieved through the simulation of the creation of a start-up company. They offer an introduction to the reality of professional life, providing a first insight into the possible practical interactions between individual RaMES courses and companies.
The Entrepreneurship and Business Models and Mineral Resource Economics and Management courses mostly utilise teamwork, class presentations, and interactive discussions in tandem with class teaching to build competencies. They involve students in a business idea contest that is pitched in front of a panel of experts. This contest delivers a prize for a group of students with the best idea. The Mineral Resource Economics and Management course include the development of business plans related to the innovative use of raw materials. Students also develop business ideas that are later pitched in the Entrepreneurship and Business Models course. Moreover, the Final Thesis, as a joint academia-industry project, represents further innovation and entrepreneurship training.
Are you a student who is:
Interested in mineral deposits and their bearings on the raw material value chain?
Interested in sparking innovation in the raw materials sector?
Motivated to spend time working with companies and research organisations in the raw materials and sustainability sectors?
Driven to become an entrepreneur or intrapreneur who makes innovation happen?
Professional Profiles After Graduation
Given the worldwide demand for professionals in mining and minerals engineering and management, graduates of RaMES have promising career opportunities. RaMES graduates will be qualified to work for:
Mining companies and companies engaged in mineral processing technology
Companies working on ore deposits and integrated production
Market leaders in efficient dredging and mining
Aggregates companies
Government agencies
Engineering and consulting firms
Knowledge institutions, research institutes and think-tanks
Alternatively, the entrepreneurial and innovative skills which you have developed during the programme will help you to set up your own business.
Programme Structure
The programme consists of four semesters. During the first and second semester, the University of Bologna will deliver eight courses (60 ECTS), including one elective (6 ECTS). During the third semester, the programme consists of four courses that are delivered by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (24 ECTS), as well as a two-week field course (6 ECTS), delivered by the Geological Survey of Finland. Semester four may include an Internship for the preparation of the Final Thesis and the Thesis itself carried out with an industrial partner (total: 30 ECTS). The Curricular Internship may be carried out in tandem with the Final Thesis with an industrial partner, but in that case, it will be of 15 ECTS and the Thesis will also be 15 ECTS.
Exclusive activities and support for EIT-Labelled students
Students on EIT-Labelled master’s programmes within the EIT RawMaterials Academy receive a range of additional opportunities to boost their innovation and entrepreneurship skills, grow their network in the raw materials sector and gain the experience they need to thrive.
These exclusive events bring together EIT-Labelled students from across the Master School and form the basis of your shared learning experiences, making you a full member of the EIT RawMaterials community.
Semester 1
Label Induction Days. Meet the EIT RawMaterials Academy and learn how to get involved in our community and the many opportunities on offer. Sign up for EIT RawMaterials Alumni and start growing your network.
Vote for your representative on the Label Student Board, or stand for election!
Semester 2
Label Start-Up! Days. Get together with 100 Label students to meet and learn from five EIT RawMaterials supported start-ups. Hear about the experience of setting up a company in the raw materials sector and network with entrepreneurs.
All costs covered by EIT RawMaterials.
Semester 3
The RACE. The Raw and Circular Economy Expedition is a challenge-based summer school for 70 students from around the world, taking place over two weeks in four different European countries. Find out more at race.eitrawmaterials.eu.
All costs covered by EIT RawMaterials for Labelled students selected for participation.
Semester 4
Label-Launch! Celebrate completing your EIT-Labelled Master’s programme during EIT RawMaterials’ major event – the RM Summit. Take part in matchmaking events with EIT RawMaterials industry partners and startups, and make new connections with raw materials professionals.
Do you have a raw materials business idea?
EIT RawMaterials offers a range of support for individuals and companies with innovative business ideas, including:
Pre-Jumpstarter Workshop
This exclusive event for students on the EIT RawMaterials Academy Labelled master’s programmes offers support to develop your thinking around a start-up idea and, in particular, to prepare you to apply to the EIT Jumpstarter.
EIT Jumpstarter
One of Europe’s top pre-accelerator programmes, to help you develop your business idea and understand what’s needed to create a successful start-up.
Booster call
Financial and network access support for start-ups and SMEs in the raw materials sector.
EIT RawMaterials Accelerator
A three-stage accelerator programme to help start-ups with a developed product to bring their solution to the market.
EIT RawMaterials Alumni
From the moment you join an EIT-Labelled master’s programme in the EIT RawMaterials Academy, you are eligible to join EIT RawMaterials Alumni. This organisation provides a great opportunity to network with past and present participants in the many and varied EIT RawMaterials activities, such as business idea competitions, start-ups, professional development courses and Master and PhD programmes.
It is run by and for its members, who can benefit from events, career development and educational activities and much more, forming a hub for a diverse range of raw materials students, academics and professionals. Furthermore, the EIT RawMaterials Alumni provides you with a connection to the wider EIT Alumni community and alumni events around Europe.
