New partnership between research and industry to drive sustainable mining, refining, and recycling.
A new partnership between India and the United Kingdom aims to strengthen the supply of critical raw materials. Leading the initiative are the UK-based Centre for Process Innovation Limited (CPI), the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) at the University of Cambridge, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.
The collaboration includes plans for a monitoring hub to connect research and industry through data sharing on supply chains. The goal is to track the flow of critical minerals—from mines to electric vehicles—to identify risks, recycling opportunities, and potential bottlenecks. At the same time, the initiative aims to boost innovation and investment along the entire value chain. This approach creates economic opportunities in both the UK and India while jointly building the industries of the future, said Dr. Arun Harish, Chief Strategy Officer at CPI. The platform’s development will also explore the use of emerging technologies such as personalized artificial intelligence.
According to the press release, both countries acknowledge the “urgent need for action” to ensure responsible mining, refining, and recycling of critical minerals and to support the transition to net zero.
This new initiative builds on the existing bilateral cooperation established under the India-UK Roadmap 2030. Both nations also collaborate in strategic sectors like rare earth elements and renewable energy and are members of the Minerals Security Partnership, a global initiative to promote sustainable supply chains. India and the UK are increasing domestic mining and recycling and forming new partnerships for critical materials to reduce their dependency on Chinese imports. As an emerging economic power, India released its first list of critical minerals last year to support its growing technology sector. Also last year, the UK updated its strategy for these strategic materials.
Photo: Kittikorn via Canva
