The ministry of mines has issued detailed guidelines for establishing Centres of Excellence (CoEs) under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM). The move aligns with one of the mission’s core pillars—advancing research and technology development in the field of critical minerals.
Driving Clean Energy and Strategic Innovation
Critical raw materials are the backbone of supply chains for emerging sectors such as clean energy, mobility transition, electronics, defence, and space. To ensure India’s leadership in these areas, the CoEs will focus on end-to-end R&D, developing and demonstrating extraction and beneficiation technologies that can reach Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 7 and 8—the stage of pilot plant and pre-commercial deployment.
Fostering Cutting-Edge Research through Academic-Industry Collaboration
Under the new initiative, reputed academic and R&D institutions will be selected and recognized as CoEs based on eligibility criteria. These centres will drive transformational research and promote multi-disciplinary approaches to strengthen India’s scientific and technological capabilities in the critical minerals ecosystem.
Hub and Spoke Model for Maximum Impact
Each CoE will function as part of a consortium following a Hub and Spoke model. The designated Hub Institute will collaborate with at least two industry partners and two academic or R&D partners, pooling expertise and infrastructure to accelerate progress in the sector.
Proposal Invitation Coming Soon
To operationalize the CoEs, the Ministry of Mines will soon invite proposals from eligible institutions. As reported by pib.gov.in, the structured, collaborative approach aims to ensure India’s self-reliance and resilience in critical mineral technologies, supporting both Atmanirbhar Bharat and sustainable industrial growth.
