The government has announced a research program worth Rs 210 crore for critical raw materials for three years; however, only nine pre-selected centers of excellence (CoEs) will be allowed to apply.
The three-year program is being run by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) along with the Ministry of Mines.
These nine institutions, already recognized by the ministry of mines, must apply in groups. Each group will be led by the CoE and must include at least two academic partners and two industry partners working in the field of critical minerals and related areas, such as materials science, geology, mining, and metallurgy.
The nine CoEs earlier recognized by the mines ministry include IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, IIT Roorkee, the Institute of Minerals & Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, the Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre, Hyderabad, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and the Centre of Materials for Electronics and Technology, Hyderabad.
Every proposal must focus on one clear industry problem. It also needs to show how the research can move from an early stage to a usable technology. Projects must start from a minimum Technology Readiness Level of 2.
Funding will be released only if yearly targets are met. Industry partners must also put in 10% of the project cost in cash.
The program will support research across the full chain of critical minerals from exploration and mineral processing to extraction, recovery from mine waste, and recycling.
