Making a comeback at the 2024 Investing in African Mining Indaba is the Innovation and Research Battlefield – a high-profile event convened by the organisers of the Investing in African Mining Indaba and global organisation the Development Partner Institute (DPI Mining) – providing a platform for Indaba participants to showcase early-stage innovations, on February 6.

Competitors will present their ideas and research proposals to address this year’s challenge on the topic of ‘What are the innovative, responsible collaborations between large-scale and artisanal mining, and how these can be applied to the just energy transition’.

The Innovation and Research Battlefield is intended to fast-track new approaches to complex sustainability challenges in the resource sector by connecting future-focused academics, researchers, the private sector, nongovernmental organisations and young people to a network of vested organisations. It also provides an opportunity to win a research grant.

Mining major BHP’s six-month early-stage exploration accelerator programme Xplor is sponsoring the $25 000 innovation grant, which will support the winners in furthering their research. The results of the winning project will be presented at the 2025 edition of the Mining Indaba conference.

“We want to connect great minds and passionate innovators from across academia, research and the mining sector, as well as young leaders, to foster agile collaboration, connect viable ideas to financial support, and catalyse real change that could transform the mining and minerals industry,” says DPI Mining executive director Florence Drummond.

Shortlisted participants were able to pitch virtually in the first round of the Battlefield, which took place during December 2023.

Successful first round participants received a delegate pass to the Mining Indaba and will pitch their proposal live in the final Battlefield round.