The duties of the department for designing of exploitation of mineral ores are scientific, developmental and innovation research, designing of mines with surface, drilling and underwater exploitation, the designing of surveillance and management systems and logistical engineering operations in geology, hydro-geology, dewatering of mines, geodesics, reclamation, revitalization and landscaping of degraded areas through mining.
The department for designing of the exploitation of the mineral ores is the linchpin of the Mining Institute since its founding. During the years of creation by the Mining Institute, the department was the initiator and the bearer of the primary function of research and designing integration of all segments of the Institute. Th e contributions and results of the department from this period are impossible to quantify, they number in thousands of projects, plans, studies, expertise, expert evaluations, applied research and numerous development and scientific projects realized for the necessities of the mining-ore complex of Yugoslavia and Serbia.
Through development and introduction of new approaches and methods into designing, engineering analysis and decision making, the department had spearheaded and set new, highly creative standards. The base of these results is the personnel potential i.e. the combination of experience and high expertise of the most prominent mining engineers and constant rejuvenation, education and preparation of the youth to take over the demanding research and designing assignments. In this manner the department had become a school which produced numerous leading mining experts.
Thanks to the personnel top expertise, established high standards in designing and a constant and immediate contact with problems in mines, the department has infl uenced the modernization of production processes, improvement of the existing ones, creation and introduction of new more efficient and safer technologies, environmental protection, reengineering of exploitation operations and maximization of the usage of the mineral ore basins.
The contributions of the department for deigning of exploitation of mineral ores, the development and great rise in Yugoslavian and Serbian mining in the second half of the XX century are indisputable.
There is no mining system or an important mine in Yugoslavia or Serbia in whose opening, development, reconstruction or technological modernization the department was not a part of with its project solutions on an idea or executive level.