The sign-up deadline for Mining Lab 2, the start-up competition in United States sponsored by Brazil’s Nexa Resources, is approaching fast, and the company is calling on innovators in the fields of automation, IoT, logistics, circular economy, and mineral processing to submit their applications by March 31st.
Applications for the $2.4 million equity-free prize, which supports technological innovation in the mining and metals industry, can be submitted at mininglab.nexaresources.com.
“Mining Lab is a collaborative way of thinking about and building new technical solutions, and to that end, boosting competitiveness given the challenges of our industry,” said Jones Belther, director of mining exploration and technology at Nexa, which was formerly known as Votorantim Metais. “It’s an initiative that opens up space for the development of new ideas.”
The first phase of the program, which was developed in partnership with tech accelerator Techmall, will select 36 start-ups that will go through an initial immersion period. From those, 24 will be selected to deliver in-person business-case presentations. Nexa will select 12 finalists, which will each recieve a financial investment, a year of guidance from qualified professionals, and access to Nexa’s facilities and technical know-how.
Launched in 2016, Mining Lab is a pioneering program in the mining sector. The first edition, which is currently underway, was aimed at renewable energy and nanotechnology. Five projects are now in the pilot stage and are expected to be implemented into Nexa’s operations at completion.
