New Delhi: The Ministry of Mines has recognized two additional institutes — the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), Hyderabad — as Centres of Excellence (CoE) under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM).
This development brings the total number of recognized Centres of Excellence to nine, following approval by the Project Approval and Advisory Committee (PAAC) in its meeting held on October 24, 2025, co-chaired by Piyush Goyal, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, and Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (DST).
Strengthening India’s Critical Mineral Ecosystem
Critical raw materials are key to the supply chains of clean energy, electric mobility, advanced technology, defence, space, and electronics sectors. The recognition of additional CoEs aims to promote cutting-edge research and development (R&D) and accelerate the value chain for critical minerals essential to India’s strategic and technological advancement.
The newly recognized CoEs will focus on developing, demonstrating, and deploying technologies through an end-to-end systems approach to achieve higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 7/8) — enabling pilot plants and pre-commercial demonstrations.
Collaborative Research through Hub & Spoke Model
Each Centre of Excellence will function as a consortium under the Hub & Spoke model, designed to integrate diverse expertise from academia, research, and industry.
Under this model, the Hub Institute will be required to onboard at least two industry partners and two academic or R&D partners. This collaborative approach ensures that R&D outcomes are directly aligned with industrial applications and national strategic priorities.
Together, the nine recognized CoEs have formed a robust network of around 90 industry and academic/R&D spokes, significantly expanding India’s research capacity in critical mineral exploration, processing, and value addition.
Driving Innovation and Self-Reliance
The recognition of IISc and C-MET as CoEs under the NCMM marks a significant milestone in India’s efforts to secure its critical mineral supply chain and reduce dependency on imports.
By fostering innovation, facilitating technology transfer, and nurturing industry-academia collaboration, the Ministry of Mines aims to strengthen India’s position in the global critical minerals landscape and contribute to the country’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) vision.
