Vale will offer a program in collaboration with the MIT Professional Education, MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, SENAI CIMATEC and startup accelerator The Bakery. The MINE (Mining Innovation for a New Environment) is offering 30 professionals the opportunity to help develop and build the future of mining - safer, more sustainable, and more efficient - through open innovation. Applications for the MINE Program 2.0 edition will be accepted beginning February 5, 2021 on the website vale.com/mine.

The MINE Program seeks to solve Vale's strategic problems, develop people and generate a positive impact on society. For nine months, between April and December, participants will develop solutions to solve ten current challenges of the company in the areas of decarbonization, circular economy, and health and safety.

“MINE Program was designed to make us rethink the way we work, combining talent, technology and knowledge to solve the biggest mining challenges”, says Alexandre Salomão, manager of PowerShift, a decarbonization program at Vale that aims to transform the company's energy matrix through renewable and clean sources.

These topics were chosen because of their importance to Vale's strategy of being recognized as a reference in safety, a leader in low-carbon mining and also a company that creates and shares value. Fostering development in these fields has the potential to generate a positive impact for society, as they are relevant for everyone and not just for the company.

“Our goal is to invite the external public to contribute to overcoming global obstacles, forming agents of change capable of helping us to build the mining of the future”, explains Marcos Calderon, from Vale's Open Innovation team.

Vale is responsible for selecting the challenges, mentoring and technical monitoring of the proposed solutions, opening its operations to collaboration from external participants and financing scholarships. Faculty and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed and developed the program content; SENAI CIMATEC will support and tutor the participants, while the Bakery will be responsible for accelerating the challenges.

“We are working at MINE with some of the most innovative institutions in the market, as part of our goal to become a more agile, digital and collaborative company”, says Gustavo Roque, manager of Ferrous Innovation Management.

To apply to the program it is necessary to have an agile and entrepreneurial mindset, technical knowledge in the area of the challenge, be fluent in English and have a college degree in any subject. The program is looking for innovative people who know how to work collaboratively to solve problems based on new ideas and approaches. The participants must not have any employment commitments, since they will be receiving scholarships in order to be dedicated exclusively to the program.

The first edition of the MINE Program was held between November 2019 and June 2020. Ten challenges were solved in the areas of digital transformation and decarbonization. Solutions that prove to be viable in the 2.0 edition may be implemented in Vale's operation.

Service

MINE Program 2.0

Registration is open between February 4^th and 24th

Go to vale.com/mine

About Vale

Vale is a global mining company with a mission to transform natural resources into prosperity and sustainable development. One of the world’s leading producers of iron ore and nickel, Vale is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro and is present on five continents. Its operations comprise integrated logistics systems, including approximately 2,000 kilometers of railroads, maritime terminals and 10 ports distributed across Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia and Oman.

Vale aims to be recognized as one of the safest mining companies in the world and is committed to the highest standards of governance. It seeks to increase its levels of engagement with shareholders and other stakeholders and invest in mitigating the effects of its activities. The company has recently announced an investment of at least US$2 billion to reduce by 33% its direct and indirect absolute emissions by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement, and it plans to become carbon neutral by 2050.

www.vale.com

About MIT Professional Education

MIT Professional Education (founded in 1949) is the continuing education arm of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (incorporated in 1861) located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. It offers engaging, multi-lingual, collaborative, market-driven, non-credit/non-degree professional programs for global practitioners and organizations, supporting the mission of MIT.

The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century. The Institute is committed to generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge, and to working with others to bring this knowledge to bear on the world’s great challenges. MIT is dedicated to providing its learners with an education that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with the support and intellectual stimulation of a diverse learning community. They seek to develop in each member of the MIT community the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of humankind.

https://professional.mit.edu/

About MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

Founded in 2014, the Environmental Solutions Initiative is MIT’s institute-wide effort to mobilize the substantial scientific, engineering, policy, and design capacity of our community to contribute to addressing climate change and other environmental challenges of global import. They pursue multidisciplinary research, education, events, and collaborations to help move society toward an environmentally and socially sustainable future.

https://environmentalsolutions.mit.edu/

About SENAI CIMATEC

The SENAI CIMATEC Integrated Manufacturing and Technology Campus is one of the most advanced centers of education, technology and innovation in Brazil. The institution emerged with the objective of leveraging the development of the industry, towards a sustainable future.

SENAI CIMATEC is a reference in Technology and Innovation in the country and integrates, in synergistic way, Technological Center, University Center and Technical School to meet the demands of industry and companies. With extensive experience in the execution of projects of different complexities, the institution stands out in carrying out Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I). In partnership with national and international organizations, it adds up to more than R$ 180 million in project resources and high intellectual property indicators, with more than 60 patents registered.

www.senaicimatec.com.br

About The Bakery

The Bakery is a global corporate innovation company, operating with a network of tens of thousands of solutions in more than 30 countries. Considered the first accelerator of corporate innovation in the world, it was founded in 2012 by English entrepreneurs and investors Andrew Humphries and Tom Salmon, and taken to Brazil in 2017 by partners Felipe Novaes and Marcone Siqueira. With a focus on open innovation, the consultancy helps corporations to innovate quickly and efficiently, identifying challenges and opportunities, testing and implementing solutions created by startups worldwide. With offices in 5 countries and clients in 16, it serves large companies in Brazil, such as Vale.

www.thebakery.com