Turkey is accelerating towards its stated goal of becoming a top 10 global economy, and mining is playing a critical role in this growth. Recent licencing reforms to encourage exploration and development have resulted in an exponential increase in investment, driven by Turkey’s rich deposits of untapped mineral resources. Despite these advances, the SOMA accident on 14th May 2014 has focused attention on the need for constant improvement in safety and a push for the Turkish mining industry to embrace world best practice.

This Center has been established as collaboration between Hacettepe University (HU) and The University of Queensland (UQ) to focus on improving mine safety and developing novel technology that optimises mining operations while furthering development of safety, environmental and social considerations. Through innovative education and training courses it will build leadership capacity for the future. UQ represents the world’s largest and most diverse concentration of University researchers working on mining and sustainability within the global minerals industry.