The project is designed to establish system for training of public authorities aimed at improving level of environmental expertise, facilitating good governance and sustainable infrastructure development in Western Balkan countries.

To meet this overall objective, the project team will:
• develop training programme for capacity building of the staff of public authorities in sustainable infrastructure, energy efficiency and good governance at partner Universities in BiH, Montenegro and Serbia
• improve capacities of partner Universities in providing training in sustainable public infrastructure through retraining of the key teachers at EU universities
• develop a web-based toolkit as an interactive learning environment for training of public authorities
• pilot training programme in cooperation with EU teachers by October 2014
• develop recommendations for capacity building of public authorities in sustainable infrastructure and securing continuous update of their knowledge, skills and competencies
• ensure continuity of the training Programme and the web toolkit beyond Tempus Programme funding

The project will be finalized with 3 dissemination Conferences in partner countries.

The project Consortium consists of universities from EU, BiH, Montenegro and Serbia and the society partners - Associations of local authorities that represent municipalities of the partner countries, which are the main target group for training courses. This will ensure wider impact of the project results on sustainable development of public infrastructure and energy efficiency in the partner countries.

The long history of cooperation between academic and non-academic partners of the project will become a stable background for successful project implementation, mutual learning and cultural exchange.

The Project proposes investigations of Mesozoic and Cenozoic igneous provinces of Serbia which are spatially and temporarily related to various metallic and non-metallic ore deposits. It is structured by addressing three thematic/regional objectives: (1) Late Cretaceous/Paleogene complexes of the East Serbian Carpatho-Balkanides, (2) Paleogene/Neogene provinces of the central parts of the Balkan Peninsula and (3) Neogene provinces of the southern margin of the Pannonian Basin. The Project invokes a multidisciplinary approach of combining petrological, mineralogical, crystallographic, geochemical, structural geological, geophysical and thermochronological investigations on key localities. This research focuses on studying spatial distribution, fabric, structure and facial development of rocks and associated mineralization as well as on determining the time and physical-chemical conditions of their formation. For this purpose a set of up-to-date laboratory methods will be applied and many of them are now available in Serbia. The Project will provide a critical amount of new data that are inevitable for better understanding the geodynamic style in this region from Mesozoic to present day. This will shed new light on the role that a wide geodynamic context and specific and local tectonomagmatic conditions play for the formation of metallic and non-metallic deposits. The expected results will be clearly applicable because they will essentially contribute in refining the prospection criteria and economic indicators of different geological units and that is crucial for discovering new mineral deposits in Serbia.

Central Balkan Peninsula and Pannonian Basin are very instructive for solving different geological problems. This is a region with complex geological setting that originated as a result of Mesozoic-Cenozoic processes related to the closure of the Tethys, due to the convergence and subsequent continental collision between Eurasia and Gondwana. Different tectonostratigraphic units were incorporated into an orogene, as a result of the subduction-collision processes. Complexity of the geological setting comes from the fact that this region was subjected to long-lasting compression and shortening, as well as to subsequent gravitational collapse and inversion.

The aim of this Project is to solve the problems related to geodiversity and geological evolution of depositional environments in the Central Balkan Peninsula, and contemporary methods and multidisciplinary approach (paleontology, litho- and biostratigraphy, geodynamics, paleoecology, paleobiogeography, etc.) will be applied.

We expect that the obtained results will be correlative with modern concepts of geological evolution of the European continent, which will enable better understanding and improved knowledge of geodiversity and geodynamic evolution of the basins in Central Balkan Peninsula. These results should represent an original presentation of tectogenesis of the terrains of Serbia, which will influence the interpretations of evolution of tectonic structures in this part of SE Europe.

This project is aimed both to researching exploration possibilities of still undeveloped energy potentials of Oil Industry of Serbia – Naftagas (Naftagas) and applying different technologies for the purpose of more rational energy consumption during production process. A model is formed for integral comprehension of energy, ecological and economical work parameters within the company production units. The focus is given to the analysis of the gas associated within oil reservoirs, the gas from small gas reservoirs and geothermal energy. A thorough analysis is carried out covering feasible technologies aimed to increase the efficiency in production potential as well as reduction in energy consumption. Consideration is also given to various technologies used in electric power production and/or heat, utilization of geothermal energy, application of new pipelines materials and application of electro-motor drive frequency control. Particular attention is given to designing of a burner adaptable for the usage of gas with high CO2 content. A criterion model is formed for selection of optimum technologies as well as locations for the application of the same. On the grounds of the results obtained, the studies on preliminary designs are elaborated offering the following possibilities of using the gas associated with oil reservoirs, and the gas from small gas reservoirs for the purpose of heat production and/or electric power production as well as geothermal energy production at the selected location and various technologies aimed to reduce electric power consumption. Some of the relevant technologies are tested at pilot plants.

Mining is one of the most complex industries. Engineers can manage with difficulty the processes that are not automated and continuously monitored. Through the Project MULTIPURPOSE AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM FOR REMOTE MONITORING THE STATE PARAMETERS IN THE MINES AND ENVIRONMENT we are planning to create a versatile, expandable system with a number of autonomous, multichannel, wireless connected acquisition devices with the possibility of simple connection, both analog and digital sensors. Integrating any type of sensors, engineers can create the system by simply software setting the parameters. The Project is based on the knowledge and experience from previous projects (TR6623b,TR17013 and several Innovative Projects) in which the laboratory equipment and electronic components were provided, that can be used, which is a good precondition for starting new Project. The system would enable the control of the process, develop creativity and inventiveness of engineers which would result in increased efficiency and safety in the work, energy efficiency, economic effects of mining operations and environment protection. Relevance and significance of proposed topics are confirmed by four participant Companies - two mining as a user and two involved in electronics manufacturing. Future users of the system are: underground and surface mines, Companies for production, transportation, processing and use of oil, gas, groundwater and others. Because of the relatively low cost, system will not be predicted for high risk work.

First activity of this project is overview of Serbian underground mining situation, with focus on condition of mine roadways, including development and supporting technologies. Findings of this research shall be systemized in data base. Results of this research will enable selection of location for Advanced Technology (AT) rockbolting applicability assessment, as well as potential effects of this technology. Next research phase comprises in-situ experimental testing on selected locations. These researches include testing installation of AT rockbolts, pull-out test of AT rockbolts and determination of bond stiffness between rockbolt and rock. The purpose is to perform these experiments in several mines and working environment, in order to determine sufficient number of parameters for evaluation of efficiency and applicability of AT rockbolting technology. Health and safety aspects related to work on roadway development, in relation to applied supporting technology, will be considered by separate analysis. Final phase of the project will provide proposal for application of AT rockbolting for locations where experiments and testing were performed.

It is planned that research activities of this project last during period of four years.

According to all relevant documents and expert analysis, all the world's oil reserves will be exhausted by the year 2050. Coal remains one of the rare fossil fuel used at the present. There are enough coal reserves in our country as the highest energy potential. In production of electric power, coal is currently envolved with over 60% and remains our primary energy potential to the point of finding technological operational alternative energy sources. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the possibility of utilization of the remaining coal reserves in order to define the quantity, quality and providing technical and technological solutions for exploitation in the future, and thus provide the energy stability of the Republic of Serbia.

The main research objective of this project is complex continuous open pit lignite exploitation technological systems. The planned project activities are following: development and implementation of innovative technological practices, technological and energy efficiency improvement, increase in production reliability and stability, and development of selective exploitation technology based on a coal quality control model.

Additionally, the proposed research includes comprehensive occupational safety analysis through identification of risks, risk assessment and defining measures for the improvement of workplace safety.

Moreover, the proposed project will incorporate advanced technical and program solutions: Geological database, Coal quality control system, Technological information system, and system for the mine safety analysis in to the integrated system to be applied in the decision making process for the surface mining process management. The integrated system will be based on the advanced software tools used in the mining industry for deposit modeling and implemented in a GIS development environment.

Integrated system implementation will create conditions for increase in deposit utilization level, technological and energy efficiency improvement, planning and control of the coal quality, and distribution of coal within the required quality range. In this way, use of the fuel oil for the combustion in the electric power plants will decrease creating maximal boiler utilization.

Contrary to the most of European countries, mineral-raw material potentials of Serbia aren’t exhausted. On the contrary, they are substantial when considering the types of available metallic, non-metallic and energetic resources, the size of the country and the population. Serbian mining, surrounded by an open and strong international competition and the existing uncertainties, lagging due to circumstances surrounding it, strongly contributes to the country economy and the progress. For the purpose of production capabilities and competitiveness salvation, the importance of operational flexibility and strategic adaptability of mineral-raw material complex with disturbances, uncertainties and risks is more obvious. Uncertainty is generated by the natural, technical, technological, market, business-financial, political and other stochastic and fuzzy logic factors. In this ambience, a reliable assessment of uncertainty and risk is a necessity for ensuring quality and efficient management in mines. Project activities are focused on the theoretical-analytical and experimental-simulation research of the uncertainty monitoring and adaptive risk management in real and extended time in opencast mining. The experimental-simulation research are to be performed at the open pit mines of Kostolac and “Majdan III” in Kanjiža, and other pits not having the status of the participant. The knowledge and the results of the research have the general significance for the mining and the country.

Ore preparation starts as early as the exploitation phase, during the drilling and mining process. Ore body P2 at Prlovi location is estimated at 800 000 tons of ore containing approximately 4% lead and 3% zinc. Ore exploitation has been attempted in the past but there were significant technical problems finally resulting in the ore not being processed. The scope of this project is finding technical solution for ore preparation from the exploitation phase, through preparation and depositing of waste that remains after the ore processing. Work on this project is expected to produce several papers that will be presented at local as well as international conferences, and at least two technical solutions.

Deformation monitoring of infrastructural objects and terrain represents a necessary component in efficient stability monitoring and maintenance. Due to the development of technologies for monitoring, basic preconditions for achieving that goal have been created.

Autonomous monitoring system does not require human activity in the process of measuring, data processing and generating information on the amplitude of the movement and parameters of the object. Data analysis provides information about status and prediction, and based on those, certain measures can be undertaken in order to indicate critical values in a timely manner and possibly alarm competent authorities.

LIDAR technology enables the construction to be covered with a large number of points, making the details interpretation significantly better. In addition, it is possible to generate different derivates of object and terrain model, such as various cross sections, views, contours.

Goal of the proposed project is to determine and realize implementation of appropriate system of deformation monitoring at characteristic locations. It is planned to overview the functional connections between the elements of the system and testing the system in realistic conditions by using the geodetic instruments, LIDAR and geotechnical sensors in interactive operational regime, with defining of appropriate input and output values, software and hardware architecture, communication models, analyses and data presentation.