Ministry of Mines Recognises Two New Centres of Excellence for Critical Minerals R&D
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Institutions: Ministry of Mines
The Ministry of Mines has formally recognised two additional institutes — Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore) and Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET, Hyderabad) — as Centres of Excellence (CoEs) under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM). This brings the total to nine recognised CoEs.
These CoEs will conduct end-to-end R&D, demonstration and deployment of technologies linked to critical minerals — such as lithium, rare earths and cobalt — crucial for clean energy, mobility and strategic sectors like electronics, defence and space. Each CoE will function on a hub-and-spoke model, with the hub institute mandated to partner with at least two industry and two academic/R&D spokes.
The move underscores India’s strategic push to strengthen domestic critical-mineral value chains, reduce dependence on imports, and enhance the country’s manufacturing and innovation readiness in sectors aligned with its green transition and national security priorities.
By expanding the CoE network under the NCMM, India anchors advanced R&D capabilities in critical minerals — enabling innovation, strengthening supply-chain resilience, and supporting ambitions under Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and clean-energy manufacturing ecosystems.
What is the National Critical Mineral Mission? → A government initiative to develop exploration, processing, recycling and value-addition of critical minerals which are essential for clean energy, defence, electronics, and strategic sectors.
What are Centres of Excellence (CoEs)? → CoEs are specialised innovation hubs that focus on high-end research, technology development and industry partnerships in a priority sector. Under the National Critical Mineral Mission, each CoE leads a hub-and-spoke network — collaborating with universities, startups and industry — to translate lab-scale breakthroughs into deployable technologies for India’s clean-energy and strategic manufacturing needs
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How will India ensure these CoEs quickly translate research into viable industrial technologies, secure industry partnerships, and support scaling of critical-mineral projects across regions?
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https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2182381