Government Unveils ₹210 Crore Research Initiative for Critical Minerals

India has announced a ₹210-crore research programme aimed at accelerating innovation across the country’s critical minerals ecosystem. The 3-year initiative is being rolled out by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Mines and is designed to strengthen domestic capabilities in strategic materials. 

Programme Structure and Eligible Institutions 

The initiative allows only nine pre-selected Centres of Excellence to apply. Each application must be submitted by a group led by one of these centres and include at least two academic institutions and two industry participants working in fields such as geology, mining, metallurgy and materials science.  

The 9 eligible centres include IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Roorkee, ISM Dhanbad, IISc Bengaluru, IMMT Bhubaneswar, NML Jamshedpur, NFTDC Hyderabad and CMET Hyderabad. 

Every proposal must address a specific industry problem and outline a pathway for transitioning research from an early stage to deployable technology, beginning from a minimum Technology Readiness Level of 2. Projects will receive staged funding based on annual progress, while industry partners are required to contribute 10% of the total cost in cash. 

Focus Areas Across the Critical Minerals Value Chain 

The programme will support research spanning exploration, mineral processing, extraction technologies, recovery from mine waste and advanced recycling. By covering the entire value chain, the government aims to strengthen domestic capabilities in key minerals essential for clean energy technologies, electronics, aerospace and advanced manufacturing. 

Read More: India GDP Expected to Reach 7.5% In Q2 FY26: SBI Research Report! 

Conclusion 

The ₹210-crore initiative marks a significant push towards building robust R&D capacity in critical minerals. With structured collaboration between academia and industry, the programme seeks to reinforce India’s long-term technological and economic resilience. 

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