Mining companies team up for technology challenge.

Goldcorp and Integra Gold are partnering up to sponsor the Disrupt Mining contest, which challenges innovators to find new approaches to mining.

The contest will culminate in a Dragons' Den-type event in front of a live audience and a panel of industry executives. It will take place during the 2017 conference of the Prospectors and Developers Association (PDAC) in Toronto on March 5.

The winner can earn an investment of up to $1 million for a proof of concept at one of Goldcorp's mines, or investment in the winning technologies.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to charities in which the mining companies operate, and used to create scholarships "designed to spur innovation in mining," the companies said in a release.

"The mining industry is overdue for radical, disruptive innovation that drives value, enhances safe production and performance across every aspect of our business, from exploration through to reclamation and closure," said Todd White, Goldcorp's senior vice-president of technical services and business excellence and a board member of the Canadian Mining Innovation Council.

"As an industry, we must collaborate to spur investment and accelerate the...