A £4million research facility is to be built in Cornwall to look at creating digital technology for mining, geothermal energy and civil engineering companies working underground.
The idea is to create a world-leading cluster of research-intensive digital businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The pioneering project, called Deep Digital Cornwall, led by the Camborne School of Mines (CSM) with the Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Exeter, will conduct research and encourage innovation with 40 of the region’s SMEs.
With grant funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the project has three delivery partners: Cornish Lithium, Cornwall Resources Limited (CRL) and the South West Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications (SWCoESA).
A new research hub will be built on the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, offering a 3D modelling and visualisation suite with researchers, innovators and business development specialists.
The team behind the project say the underground is a neglected but essential environment and the source of all of our metals and minerals, while also shaping our landscapes, providing water, heat and cooling, and controlling the composition of soils.
Deep Digital Cornwall will carry out research into digital technologies and, in partnership with regional SMEs, develop new digital products, processes and services to enhance SME offerings to sectors including mining, geothermal, civil engineering, surveying and water resources, heritage, planning and more.
With a rich mining heritage and a renewed national interest in georesources, Deep Digital Cornwall will leverage the region’s unique research skills, collaborations and SME network, to boost regional economic growth.
CRL will provide Redmoor as a field site for acquisition of new geochemistry and geophysical data, which will then be provided to the Deep Digital Cornwall data centre.
Cornish Lithium brings expertise in new data collection, digitising data, and identifying and developing opportunities for the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies.
SWCoESA will help SMEs develop and commercialise space technologies and beneficial satellite applications.
Professor Frances Wall, lead academic from CSM, said: “This is such an exciting opportunity to expand the digital skills and information related to the underground. Our cluster of local companies work all over the world, at a time when there is an urgent need for new metals that are essential for the transition to net zero emissions.”
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Dr Matt Eyre, senior lecturer in mining engineering/intelligent mining at Camborne School of Mines, said: “The management of mineral resources is essential to ensure sustainable growth, with resource efficiency at its heart.
“The DDC project is an exciting development to push the boundaries of digital data capture and interpretation to optimise assets. The outputs of the project can have wide reaching effects in an ever more technologically focused digital world.”
Professor Neil Gow, deputy vice-chancellor (research and impact) at the University of Exeter added: “We are delighted to be leading this incredibly exciting and unique project that will leverage our world leading research, natural resources and collaborative partnerships to create a new generation of digital businesses.
“This ambitious project is extremely timely as the demand for improved understanding of our georesources is critical to so many industries and communities on a global basis.”
Brett Grist, exploration manager of CRL, said: “The CRL team are proud and excited to play a significant role as a delivery partner generating new data for the project, which we believe will contribute significantly to a resurgence of Cornish mining.
“Success in winning this grant funding builds on our ongoing collaboration with Camborne School of Mines, and will ensure that Cornwall and its rich mineral potential are positioned at the cutting edge of developments in digital data capture, management and interpretation.”
