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The idea was conceived in 1968 by Maurice Cahalan, Research Co-ordinator at the Rio Tinto Zinc Group (RTZ). Cahalan was approached by Robert Pryor of Rio Tinto Patino for financial support for a project he was undertaking with The Royal School of Mines. Cahalan organized support from both RTZ companies and several companies from outside the group. It was during a discussion at this time with Maurice Mawby, chairman of Conzinc Rio Tinto that attention was drawn to AMIRA (the Australian Mineral Research Association) who had been organising collaborative research for many years, of which Mawby was also President.
During his presidency of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy (IMM), Cahalan initiated a series of discussions amongst members of the mining industry concerning the absence of a body similar to AMIRA. These discussions ultimately led to the creation of the Mineral Industry Research Organisation (MIRO), a company limited by guarantee.
The Founding Corporate Members were:
| Charter Consolidated Limited | Consolidated Gold Fields Limited | English China Clays limited |
| IMI Refiners Limited | Johnson Matthey Chemicals Limited | London Tin Corporation Limited |
| Power Gas Limited | The Rio Tinto Zinc Corporation | RST International Metals Limited |
| Selection Trust Limited | Shell International Petroleum Company Limited | Tarmac Roadstone Holdings Limited |
| Union Corporation (Uk) Limited | Woodhall Duckham Limited |
MIRO activities commenced with a council meeting on the 19th September 1972. It was believed that MIRO could perform two important functions:
Membership subscriptions were set at a modest level so as not to act as a barrier to companies with moderate means. Maurice Cahalan was appointed the first president and within a year two research projects had been identified and Mr Bill Nokes appointed Executive Officer. At a further council meeting it was decided that MIRO’s role in the research should be that of scientific control and supervision.
MIRO grew steadily throughout the 1970s, and towards the end
of the decade several factors combined to increase the pace of
MIRO’s development. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
helped significantly in initiating funding for several important
projects, and the European Union announced its intentions of
funding research related to primary raw materials. Due to the
latter MIRO acquired a new significance in providing a UK
industry view for achieving effective EEC programmes.
In 1982, the MIRO council, recognising the need for effective
procedures for day to day operations, subsequently delegated
authority to an executive committee. Neil Roberts was appointed
new Chief Executive Officer. Early 1987 saw a significant
landmark as an operational headquarters was established at
Lichfield in the Midlands. By 1994 the membership had grown to
92, including affiliates, a membership category created to
reflect the growing need to provide opportunities for companies
whose main activities were related but not totally linked the
extraction sector, but who still wished to benefit from MIRO’s
networks. The organisation now had four Project Managers and
took over responsibility for its own financial administration
from Rio Tinto. The late 1990s saw an increasing number of
projects being funded by EC programmes
On the retirement of Neil Roberts in 2001, Stephen Foster was
appointed Director and the organisation went through a period of
reorganisation, which saw it move from Lichfield to Leeds. In
2003 the MIRO Council decided to split the role of Executive
Director between development and operations. Stephen Foster
moved into the development role and Gordon Riddler was appointed
Operations Director.
Following the resignation of both Stephen Foster and Gordon
Riddler during 2005, it was decided that the organisation should
relocate to a location with more accessible infrastructure
links. The result was that it returned to the Midlands and today
it is located within half a mile of Birmingham Airport,
Birmingham International Railway Station and the motorway
network.
Following the retirement of John O’Reilly, the MIRO Council
elected its current President Dr Chris Cross, who works for Rio
Tinto Plc and who has a wealth of experience in both research
and technological aspects of the global minerals industry.
Today’s MIRO Council is made up of a wide selection of industry
members, including representatives from Anglo American, AMIRA,
Boliden, British Aggregates Association, Glebe Mines, IMERYS,
Lafarge Aggregates, Rio Tinto and WBB Minerals, reflecting a
balanced range across metals, industrial minerals and
aggregates, which it covers. The day-to-day activities are now
controlled by two Executive Directors Alan Gibbon (Development)
and Bob Fenton (Operations) who were appointed in January 2006.
From MIRO’s first year of existence when it ran two projects
totalling a modest £15,000 p.a., by 2007 MIRO was managing
projects amounting to £20 million including managing two large
programmes funded through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability
Fund (ALSF - England). MIRO currently distributes the funds
through the Mineral Industry Sustainable Technology programme
(MIST) and also manages another tranché of ALSF funding from the
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister through the Sustainable Land
Won and Marine Dredged Aggregate Minerals Programme (SAMP).
These programmes operate on a call for bids basis, and the aim
of the programmes is to mitigate impacts on the environment from
the necessary extraction of aggregates - sand, stone and gravel.
Today MIRO exists, as it was originally conceived, to assist its
members in identifying needs for new technology, facilitating
and managing collaborative research for developing innovative
techniques, meeting the challenges of profitable mineral
exploration, and extraction and production using environmentally
acceptable techniques. However it has recognised and reacted to
the changing needs of and issues which affect those members. It
has also had to take account of legislation affecting the
sector. Therefore the project portfolio has expanded to cover
environmental and waste issues, which are high on the European
agenda.