A partnership between Monash University and IIT Hyderabad will bring top researchers together to create a sustainable global supply chain for important minerals.
The Australia-India Critical Minerals Research Hub (AICMRH) has been approved by India’s Ministry of Education (MoE). This hub will offer advice on extracting and processing important minerals, evaluating their importance, studying economic geology, promoting sustainable mining practices, and analyzing supply chains.
The MoE and the Government of India have formed a special committee for industry and international collaborations. Critical minerals are one of the 12 main topics this committee will focus on, and IIT Hyderabad has been chosen to lead the country in this area, a press release from Monash University said.
A proposal led by IIT Hyderabad and Monash University has united various universities, research labs, and industries from India and Australia to work on critical minerals. This project has received $1.15 million in funding from the MoE and aims to strengthen collaboration between India and Australia in this field.
The goal of this partnership is to develop skills and talent for sustainable resource management, following the G20’s commitment to diversify supply chains for energy transitions. The two countries may also collaborate on carbon capture and storage, coal preparation, and reducing emissions from coal mining.
Professor Craig Jeffrey, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) and Senior Vice-President at Monash, said the AICMRH will be a key platform for advancing collaborative research.
“This is a fantastic achievement that will greatly enhance collaborative research across India and Australia in several critically important areas,” said Professor Jeffrey.
Professor BS Murty from IIT Hyderabad signed the project agreement with Professor Susan Elliott AM, Provost and Senior Vice-President, last year.
He said both institutions will work together to meet the technological demands for exploring and extracting other minerals.
“The AICMRH provides an exciting opportunity for India and Australia to work together to expand their increasingly important mineral resources partnership,” said Professor Murty.
“This strategic partnership aims to drive significant advancements in the critical minerals field, fostering innovation and knowledge exchange on an international scale.”
The AICMRH aligns with India’s National Education Policy and the Australian Researcher Cooperation Hub (ARCH-India) of the Australian Government Department of Education. It also supports India’s goals of promoting research collaborations.
The AICMRH aims to develop pioneering technologies for a competitive and environmentally sustainable future, playing a vital role in supporting India’s National Education Policy and the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration.
There are plans to expand this collaboration into the Indo-Pacific region by including researchers from other countries in the area.
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