Government Releases Guidelines for Establishing CoE to Enhance R&D in Essential Minerals
Click to start listening
Synopsis
The Ministry of Mines has released guidelines for setting up Centres of Excellence under the National Critical Mineral Mission to promote essential research and technology development in critical minerals.
Key Takeaways
- Establishment of Centres of Excellence to boost R&D.
- Focus on critical minerals for clean energy and technology sectors.
- Consortium model for collaborative research.
- Financial incentives for exploration and recovery.
- Reduce dependency on critical mineral imports.
New Delhi, April 16 (NationPress) The Ministry of Mines announced guidelines on Wednesday for the establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoE) under the National Critical Mineral Mission to foster research and technological advancements in critical minerals.
Critical raw materials are vital for the supply chain in emerging sectors such as clean energy and mobility transitions, as well as in advanced technology and strategic fields like electronics, defence, electric vehicles, and space.
To foster, demonstrate, and deploy technologies through a comprehensive systems approach, conducting R&D is crucial to achieve higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). The CoEs will focus on identifying, developing, and implementing extraction processes and beneficiation technologies for a variety of critical minerals from diverse sources, aiming for TRL 7/8 pilot plant and pre-commercial demonstration, and establishing a competency centre, as stated by an official.
This new initiative will assess and recognize esteemed academic/R&D entities as CoEs for R&D in critical minerals. These CoEs will engage in innovative and transformative research to bolster the country's science and technology capabilities in the critical minerals sector. They will pursue cutting-edge research and promote interdisciplinary approaches to effectively tackle challenges in the critical minerals domain, as detailed in the statement.
A CoE will function as a consortium following a hub-and-spoke model to enhance R&D in critical minerals by integrating the core competencies of each member under one umbrella. The CoE (Hub Institute) will include a minimum of two industry partners and at least two academic or research partners in the consortium.
In the upcoming phase to recognize CoEs, the Ministry will soon invite proposals from qualified institutions, as mentioned in the statement.
The Union Cabinet previously sanctioned the initiation of the National Critical Mineral Mission with an allocation of Rs.16,300 crore and anticipated investment of Rs.18,000 crore from public sector enterprises.
This mission aims to reduce reliance on imports of critical minerals and promote self-sufficiency. Currently, China is the predominant producer of critical minerals, holding a near-monopoly over these essential raw materials required for advanced technology products.
The National Critical Mineral Mission covers all phases of the value chain, including mineral exploration, mining, processing, and recovery from end-of-life products. The mission seeks to boost exploration of critical minerals both domestically and in offshore regions. It also aims to establish a streamlined regulatory approval process for critical mineral mining initiatives.
Moreover, the mission will provide financial incentives for critical mineral exploration and encourage the recovery of these minerals from overburden and tailings.
