Ministry of Mines expands National Critical Mineral Mission with two new centres of excellence

The Ministry of Mines has added Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), Hyderabad to the list of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM). These join seven institutes recognized earlier to drive research and innovation in the critical minerals sector.

The move was approved by the Project Approval and Advisory Committee (PAAC) on 24 October 2025, co-chaired by Shri Piyush Goyal, Secretary of the Ministry of Mines, and Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science & Technology.

Critical minerals are key to emerging sectors such as clean energy, electric mobility, electronics, defence, and space. The CoEs will focus on developing technologies up to Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 7-8, supporting pilot plant and pre-commercial demonstrations.

Each CoE operates on a Hub & Spoke model, pooling expertise from multiple institutions. Hub institutes must partner with at least two industry players and two R&D or academic institutions. Together, the nine recognized CoEs currently involve about 90 industry and academic spokes, fostering collaboration across the critical minerals value chain.

The initiative aims to strengthen India’s research capabilities and boost innovation in strategic sectors, ensuring the nation is well-prepared for technological and industrial challenges in the coming years.