The new satellite campus at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad will be a key hub for advancing digital infrastructure, sustainability, and innovation in the global critical minerals value chain.
New Delhi – Following the announcement of £1.8 million by Prime Ministers Shri Narendra Modi and Rt. Hon Sir Keir Starmer into the world’s first UK-India Critical Minerals Supply Chain Observatory under the UK-India Technology Security Initiative (TSI), TEXMiN will establish a new satellite campus at the Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad, and GMDC Ltd.’s iCEM will set up a Rare Earth-centric variant of the Observatory at Ahmedabad.
Critical minerals, such as lithium, copper, nickel, and cobalt, are essential for modern high-tech applications, including electric vehicles, renewable energy, and semiconductors. The UK-India Critical Mineral Supply Chain Observatory, led by the Industrial Resilience Research Group at the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), University of Cambridge, with the Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and others, maps critical minerals supply chains, assesses risks, and identifies investment and recycling opportunities across both countries.
TEXMiN’s satellite campus will anchor India’s leadership in building the world’s most extensive digital infrastructure for the critical minerals value chain and enabling digital traceability, sustainable sourcing, and transparency across the sector.
Prof. Sukumar Mishra, Director, IIT(ISM) Dhanbad and Chairman, Hub Governing Board, TEXMiN, along with Prof. Dheeraj Kumar, Deputy Director, IIT(ISM) Dhanbad and Project Director, TEXMiN, remarked, “This partnership under the Technology Security Initiative marks a significant leap in India’s journey toward self-reliance and global leadership in the critical minerals space. At TEXMiN, we are proud to be entrusted with hosting the satellite campus that will be a nucleus for research, innovation, and digital infrastructure development in this domain. The new phase of collaboration will empower us to integrate cutting-edge technologies such as AI, blockchain, and advanced analytics to enhance traceability, transparency, and sustainability in the mineral supply chain.”
The new investment includes £600,000 funding from Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd’s International Centre of Excellence in Mining (iCEM). iCEM brings in strong industry collaboration that deeply explores the practical implementation of the Observatory in the end-to-end Rare Earth Element supply chain, with a strong focus on skill development in mid-stream operations of critical minerals.
Mr Roopwant Singh, IAS, Managing Director of GMDC Ltd, said, “The India – UK Technology Security Initiative provides a perfect platform for academic and research centres like IfM of Cambridge University to partner with institutions like iCEM which are solving real world challenges faced by companies like GMDC Ltd as it works closely with global partners to build out the infrastructure that will lead to enhanced, global, supply chain resilience.”
Professor John Aston, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Cambridge, said, “The University of Cambridge’s researchers engage in some of the most urgent and complex challenges facing the world today. Critical minerals have a key role in all our lives, in India and the UK and beyond, especially in energy transition and new technologies. So we welcome the opportunity to work more closely with our Indian colleagues in analysing the links (and breaks) in the supply chains of these essential elements.”
As part of the renewed commitment under the TSI, both nations have also announced the creation of a UK-India Critical Minerals Guild to modernize financing frameworks and accelerate innovation across the sector. The initiative includes focused bilateral efforts in processing, recycling, market development, research and development (R&D), and risk management, ensuring a robust and future-ready critical minerals ecosystem. In addition, both sides have strongly emphasized promoting circular economy practices and enhancing traceability solutions to build more sustainable and transparent supply chains.
Find out more about the Global Supply Chain Observatory: https://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/research/industrial-resilience/global-observatory/
