Faculty of Architecture and Arts joins EURECA-PRO Flagship meeting on sustainable mining in Leoben
On 23 and 24 September 2026, Prof. Liesbeth Huybrechts and PhD researcher Steffie De Gaetano from the Faculty of Architecture and Arts at Hasselt University attended the EURECA-PRO Flagship meeting on Sustainable Mining and Resources in Leoben, Austria. The meeting brought together partner universities to discuss the future of sustainable mining, interdisciplinary research and education.
With research interests spanning post-mining in Limburg and current mining developments in Lubumbashi, the two researchers brought a valuable perspective to the discussions.
“Our research connects local and international mining contexts. We are interested in how universities can work together to critically engage with developments in the mining sector and contribute to more environmentally and socially just approaches,” explain Prof. Huybrechts and De Gaetano.
Connecting research, design and society
The meeting explored the Flagship’s priorities for the coming years, from responsible mining and recycling to mine reclamation, secondary resource recovery and the future of post-mining territories. A key ambition is to bring together engineers, social scientists and design researchers to develop interdisciplinary approaches to these challenges.
For researchers from the Faculty of Architecture and Arts, this creates opportunities to connect technological developments with their broader territorial and societal implications.
“Sustainable mining is not only a technological challenge. It also raises questions about landscapes, communities and the futures of regions shaped by mining. Bringing different disciplines together can help us address these questions from multiple perspectives,” they note.
Building opportunities for education and collaboration
Education was another important focus. Partners discussed ways to strengthen mining-related programmes across Europe, including the potential development of joint master's degrees, such as a programme on Mining Heritage and Geolandscapes. The Flagship also aims to stimulate new collaborative research projects, exhibitions and publications that encourage critical debate on sustainable mining and resources.
One opportunity to explore these themes is the online lecture series Sustainable Resources: From Mine Planning to Post-Mining Futures, featuring 19 lectures by leading professors and researchers from October 2026 to January 2027.
Discover the online lecture series
Through exchanges like this, EURECA-PRO brings together complementary expertise across its partner universities, creating opportunities to connect research, education and societal perspectives on responsible consumption and production.