Pamela Antonioli, general manager of the Peru Mining Innovation Hub, discusses the progress of PERUMIN Hub, a program created together with the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP).

What is the PERUMIN Hub program?

PERUMIN Hub is a program that arose from the alliance between the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP) and the Hub of Mining Innovation of Peru.

Its objective is to define an open innovation process; in other words, some challenges have been identified and innovators who can propose alternative solutions will be sought the ecosystem.

What are the differentiating features of PERUMIN Hub?

The difference between this open innovation process and those that can be done on a regular basis between companies, governments or universities, is basically that we have given priority to collaboration as a pillar of this innovation.

And what I mean is that we are generating instances prior to the contest so that innovators can connect with each other in order to build a solution, or consolidate a solution that can be more robust based on the capabilities of each of the participants.

Similarly, we have also developed a period of prior liaison with the mining company to provide agile feedback and thus help strengthen the proposed solutions.

Another important difference of PERUMIN Hub is that being under the umbrella of PERUMIN - an important convention where renowned mining companies participate - has allowed us to identify the challenges in a truly sectoral exercise.

Thus, 17 mining companies have collaborated with us to discuss their problems and identify concrete challenges, which have been prioritized and for which the ecosystem is being asked to propose solutions.

Which mining companies are participating?

Anglo American Quellaveco, Antamina, Antapaccay, Buenaventura, Cerro Verde, Corona, Gold Fields, Horizonte, Las Bambas, Los Quenuales, MINSUR, Newmont (Yanacocha), Nexa, Pan American Silver Perú, Poderosa, Southern Peaks Mining (Condestable) and Volcan

What issues is PERUMIN Hub focused on?

PERUMIN Hub is going to focus on two types of solutions. A first group is focused on solutions they want to validate for the first time in mining operations or companies.

Meanwhile, the second category is aimed at people who have already validated their proposals in mining companies and we want them to share these innovative initiatives with us so that they can be disseminated or replicated in the sector.

At what stage is the innovation program?

Currently, PERUMIN Hub is in the competition phase. The whole process began in November last year where we conducted an exercise with relevant actors, who know the sector and make reports; in this way, we were able to identify three thematic areas in which we believe - based on the data that they themselves work on - that innovation can have a greater impact; and these areas are environment and sustainability, water resources and Mining 4.0.

In addition, at the beginning of this year we met with the CEOs and presidents of the mining companies to reflect on their strategies or strategic actions in relation to these 3 identified thematic areas.

Later, in February of this year, with all this information we held workshops with the managers to identify specific challenges. Thus, we have determined 10 challenges that remain from that exercise and that are available on the PERUMIN Hub website and to which applications can be made.

The contest then opened a couple of weeks ago and we have thus created two platforms. The first is Matchmaking 1, which is free and allows people to link with others; we will keep this platform open during the contest so that people can take advantage of it.

The second platform, which has already closed, allowed some of them to discuss their innovations in a preliminary fashion with people within the mining companies. They have already received feedback on whether the innovation was attractive; whether the proposal was already covered by the market; and they have received feedback in order to improve their proposals at this stage of the competition.

The competition will end on July 12; so we have tried to make the applications as simple and amenable as possible.

You have mentioned terms like connect, innovate, link and fix. What other terms could we use in this PERUMIN Hub program?

Indeed we use these terms as keys. If we review the terms, the bottom line is that we are going to work hand in hand to find the best solutions to common problems.

I consider it much easier to consolidate the talent that is dispersed in different actors, such as academia, start-ups, national and foreign companies; and that through a challenge, or a well-described specific problem, these alternative solutions can be collected and serve a sector that seeks to be increasingly innovative and increase this rate of solutions in an integral way in operations, in its relationship with communities and in its relationship with the environment.

Likewise, they are challenges that are shared; therefore, I believe that there will be a range of solutions to review and that is the message I am receiving, how we work together to speed up this search for solutions and have a greater impact.

What contributions do you expect from PERUMIN Hub to the Peruvian and global mining sector?

In this first edition, we have innovated in the innovation process, which makes us very happy.

In addition, we have also had the opportunity to propose this new design thinking in the long term, thinking ahead to more than one edition and in accompanying PERUMIN in the future.

Similarly, we aim to position ourselves in the ecosystem as a step within a ladder of innovation maturity. What do I mean by this? There are different initiatives that seek ideas, solutions, minimum viable products, scaling; then, on that path in which innovation is being built on a certain innovation that goes from the idea, testing on a scale to continue advancing, testing in the field, until it is consolidated and enters the industry, and scales.

With this approach, we have positioned ourselves in a step which is that of innovations and that may need to be tested in the field, we are not at the level of an idea, but of things that already have a valid concept and the next step is to help more companies take advantage of the benefits of this development.

My reflection, hand in hand with the IIMP, we have designed the program to help the maturity of innovations; to streamline and lower the barriers for these innovations to be tested and those who participate in a hackathon participate in PERUMIN Hub; those who participate in category 1 participate in category 2.

Thus, we seek to create a route that is easy, usable by all those innovators of any type of actor (academy, start-up, large, medium, small supplier) who want to move up this ladder with us.

Finally, I invite those who believe they have something to contribute to these specific challenges not to miss the opportunity to participate.