Technology and Research Center in the mining sector will be developed by Ufopa and Alcoa. Source: Disclosure
The Federal University of Western Pará (Ufopa) and the Alcoa Foundation announced last Tuesday (04/19) the creation of the Technological Center for Geosciences and Applied Engineering, which will be headquartered in the municipalities of Santarém and Juruti, in the state from Pará. Thus, the university and the company will invest a total of R$ 2.3 million for the research and technology center focused on the mining sector.
Mining in the state of Pará is one of the sectors that is most developing and guarantees good economic growth for the region and, with the creation of the new technology and research center for Alcoa and Ufopa, the state will have the possibility to expand further this activity on site. Thus, the municipalities of Santarém and Juruti will receive the headquarters of the center after the completion of the works.
In addition, the investment of R$ 2.3 million by Ufopa in partnership with Alcoa will be used to acquire state-of-the-art inputs and equipment for the Geosciences laboratories, directly benefiting the Geophysics and Geology courses in Santarém, in addition to the of Mining Engineering in Juruti. Thus, both segments will have the necessary equipment and tools to develop new solutions for the mining sector within the technology and research center.
At the end of the investment project, the following courses should benefit from the technology and research center: Geostatistics Laboratory, Mine Planning and Simulation; Rock and Soil Mechanics Laboratory; Laboratory of Geochemistry and Hydrogeochemistry and Laboratory of Potential Methods. Thus, the center will be the place for technological innovation within the mining segment and will allow the creation of essential projects for the development of the sector, since the university's support in research is essential for this to happen.
According to the partnership signed between Ufopa and Alcoa, for the distribution of investment in the construction of the center, the resources were delivered to the university in February of this year 2022 and the forecast for the project completion until July 2023. Thus, Ufopa has already acquired part of the equipment and supplies needed for the technology and research center, but is still awaiting the arrival of most of the tools.
Alcoa's Institutional Relations manager, José Haroldo Chaves Paula, commented on how the project to create the center by Ufopa was highly attractive to the company: “I was impressed with what was presented about the project, both the structure and the information, the transparency with which Ufopa has been conducting this project. Our expectation is that these resources will actually become a benefit for the academic community, and that we will have qualified professionals who can access positions in companies in the region with training acquired in Santarém, Juruti and in other municipalities where Ufopa is present".
Finally, the executive concluded by stating that he hopes that Alcoa's investment in the technology and research center can benefit both the university and the mining sector in the state of Pará, since this is an essential activity for the development of the region.
