More and more modern technologies as well as cooperation with scientific milieus support the development of our resources, assets and production and help us increase employee safety. We wish to propel our development based on an increasingly more efficient use of our resources with an awareness of their scarcity and unique nature. At KGHM, we understand that it is the employees who are the most familiar with our specif c needs and are able to identify areas and solutions that will translate into better results and greater safety. We know that the KGHM Group’s success currently hinges on the innovation, commitment and collaboration of many thousands of employees representing diverse knowledge and experience. We believe that the creation of change and innovation should be an everyday practice of each employee.

MAJOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

• New regulations relating to principles of planning and performing research and development activity were implemented for use at the Company, together with uniform contract templates connected with innovative activity. The new principles were also implemented in the Group’s companies.
• Research and development projects are continued to focus on the development and implementation of innovative technological and organizational solutions making it possible to improve ef ciency and occupational safety and ensuring the continuity of production. Analyses of intersections of the technological line are conducted on an ongoing basis, including also the needs in the area of research and development
• KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. with CUPRUM Sp. z o.o. – CBR participates in the governmental acceleration program Start-In Poland – Scale Up project. The aim of the project is to develop start-ups in KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. and the Group’s Companies. Cooperation is going on with start-ups selected in two rounds of the acceleration with the aim to verify and develop the proposed technology. At the same time, in cooperation with KGHM CUPRUM Sp. z o.o. – CBR, the Corporate Acceleration Program for the Group is being prepared.
• Within the framework of the Horizon 2020 Program, KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. participated in three research projects (DISIRE – completed on 31 December 2017). In addition, in September 2017, an Agreement was signed with the National Contact Point aiming to strengthen the cooperation of KGHM, the Group’s Companies and collaborating scientific c institutions and to jointly perform H2020 projects in 2018-2020.
• The AMCO project is continued, performed within EIT KIC Raw Materials and aiming to produce and launch on the market an innovative, inexpensive and user-friendly, automatic microscope system for analyzing ores to improve geometallurgical ef ciency.

CUBR PROGRAM

• Within the CuBR Joint Venture, co-financed by the National Research and Development Center, 21 Research and Development Projects are performed with the total value of PLN 150 million.
• Works are going on to start the 4th CuBR competition. The competition will concern Circular Economy (CE). The rules of the competition and its thematic scope are prepared.

IT TECHNOLOGIES NECESSARY TO ACCUMULATE AND TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE IN THE GROUP

• Reactivation of the Central Repository of Research and Development Works and expert opinions on scientific c and technological issues, with extending CRPBR II to the Group’s Companies conducting R+D activity
• Development of an information search system – SEARCH KGHM, with the application extended to the Group’s Companies conducting  R+D activity.
• Building and implementing CRPW (Central Repository of Invention Projects) archiving invention projects performed at KGHM.
• Implementing the WIEDZA IT platform, covering the areas of research and development, innovation and intellectual property and, finally, Knowledge Management.

BEST PRACTICE

In 2017, we signed an agreement on close cooperation with the National Contact Point of Research Programs of the European Union, which provides for, among others:

- actions to increase the activity and participation of companies from our Group in projects of the Horizon 2020 Framework Program,

- promoting the program and the company’s potential,

- informing broadly about results of the performed projects,

- providing support at the stage of filing applications, searching for consortium partners and performing projects

The Horizon 2020 Framework Program is the largest program of the European Union in the area of scientific research and innovation performed in 2014-2020. The budget of the Horizon 2020, nearly EUR 80 billion, is to strengthen the role of science and innovation and to use and exploit them, e.g. in industry. The aim of the program is to create world-class science and technology in Europe, which will stimulate economic growth in the countries of the European Union and in the countries associated with the program.
KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. participates in three projects performed within the Horizon 2020 program: BioMOre, DISIRE and IntMet – all of them are focused on an effective raw materials economy.

The BIOMore project is dedicated to the concept of alternative mining – extracting metals from deep deposits without the need to transfer ore to the surface by using biotechnology. The installation is tested now at the Rudna Mine. Results will be known between the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018.
Over 20 companies from all over the world are involved in the project. KGHM has the prestigious role of project coordinator. The project’s budget is EUR 8.5 million. The major assumption of the DISIRE project is that a new method will be developed for assessing and controlling the production process based on the properties of raw materials and required product parameters. The metals industry is interested in the project. Its aim is to increase the effectiveness of industrial processes. 15 international entities participate in the program and the project is planned to be completed in Q1 2018. The project’s budget is EUR 5.9 million.

The main task of the InMet program is to apply hydrometallurgical processes in the area of the mines to process concentrates, considerably increasing the effectiveness and the yield of raw materials (copper, zinc, lead) by over 60 percent as compared to the selective floatation method used now. The aim of the activity is to maximize the effective recycling of metals and minimize the consumption of energy and the environmental impact. 12 international entities participate in the program and the project is planned to be completed in Q1 2019. The project’s budget is nearly EUR 8 million.