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Read articleThe best open innovation challenges do more than surface promising ideas, they connect innovators directly with the people closest to the problem. Whilst this can be complex to repeatedly execute within a mining context there are many examples of great outcomes from engaging within innovation programs.
Gentian’s experience through the Eramet Breathing Biodiversity Open Innovation Challenge is a strong example of what a great outcome can look like.
Delivered with Unearthed, the 2024 - 2025 challenge focused on biodiversity and asked participants how Eramet could better detect, contain and control invasive alien species. It attracted 100 participants from 28 countries, with seven startups selected to pitch proposals to Eramet subject matter experts.
For Gentian CTO Marcus Spiegel, direct access to Eramet’s sustainability leaders and operational teams was a key strength of the challenge. “We were very pleased with the amount of direct engagement with Eramet throughout the process,” Marcus said.
While the published challenge focused on invasive species, conversations with Eramet’s sustainability leadership revealed a broader operational need. The understanding and monitoring the overall condition of ecosystems.
Rather than responding narrowly to a predefined technology brief, Gentian could better understand the environmental outcomes Eramet was seeking and adapt its proposed approach accordingly.
Combining capabilities for deployment in Gabon
The challenge also created value between the participating innovators.
Gentian, which applies artificial intelligence to high resolution satellite and drone imagery, had already been speaking with biodiversity data platform Mozaic Earth. Working together during the final challenge round accelerated that relationship and helped turn two complementary capabilities into a joint solution.
Their successful proposal combined large scale aerial monitoring with field level ecological observations. That solution was subsequently deployed in Gabon across five plots, including natural and regenerating savanna and areas representing different stages of post mining rehabilitation.
“The pilot gave us the opportunity to work closely with a mining company,” Marcus said. “This included engaging with corporate leadership as well as managers and staff on the ground.”
Between September and December 2025, Gentian processed satellite and drone imagery while Mozaic Earth worked with local teams to collect in field data. Ecologists and the National Herbarium of Gabon supported species validation and AI model training.
The result was effectively a “Google Earth” for biodiversity, bringing different ecological data layers into one platform to help assess rehabilitation performance, ecosystem health and the presence of invasive species.
“There is a very significant gain in time and resources,” said Bellolia Nzagou Migueli, Biodiversity Engineer at Eramet Comilog. “This project provides a scientific and transparent demonstration of the quality of our restoration actions.”
Creating value beyond the pilot
For Gentian, the pilot provided more than a technical validation exercise. It created direct experience working with mining leadership, site teams and biodiversity specialists in a real operating environment.
“The pilot gave us the opportunity to work closely with a mining company,” Marcus said. “Excellent communication throughout the pilot helped us develop the scope of work and a workflow integrating our services with Mozaic’s.”
Importantly, that workflow was designed to be repeated. Gentian and Eramet have since agreed to a further commercial contract to expand the scale of the work, while Gentian is applying the lessons from the engagement to conversations with other mining companies globally.
This is where structured open innovation delivers its greatest value. The right challenge delivery can help innovators better understand industry needs, and create a pathway from an initial proposal to real world deployment.
Innovators interested in engaging with future Unearthed challenges and industry opportunities can contact the team at [email protected]
