New Delhi, Mar 13 (KNN) The Steel Research Technology Mission of India (SRTMI) unveiled three new research and development schemes alongside a web portal during an event titled ‘Catalyzing R&D in the Indian Steel Sector’ held at New Delhi, on Wednesday.
The initiative represents a collaborative effort between the Indian steel industry and academia, with support from the Ministry of Steel.
Minister of State for Steel & Heavy Industries, Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, officially launched the R&D schemes and the SRTMI web portal.
The minister emphasised that these initiatives will be instrumental as India works toward achieving a steel production capacity of 300 million tonnes by 2030.
He highlighted the importance of accelerating technology commercialisation and indigenising capital goods manufacturing, noting that the new web portal will facilitate engagement, idea exchange, and collaboration across the industry.
Sandeep Poundrik, Secretary, Ministry of Steel, highlighted India’s growing position as a global steel demand hub, projecting that per capita consumption will increase from approximately 100 kg to 158 kg before 2030.
He outlined key challenges facing the industry, including plant efficiency, AI/ML adoption, digitisation, and decarbonisation, while emphasising the need for research tailored to India’s unique industry structure, where 45 per cent of capacity is in the secondary steel sector.
Amarendu Prakash, Chairman, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and President of SRTMI, stressed the importance of industry-academia collaboration to enhance India’s global steel competitiveness.
He noted that India’s steel demand growth stands at 11 per cent, significantly higher than the global average of 0.5 per cent, and underscored the value of the new R&D schemes in fostering joint research initiatives.
The three schemes launched by SRTMI include the Challenge Method, which aims to identify and solve critical industry-wide challenges of national interest; the Open Innovation Method, supporting research proposals from academia and researchers in collaboration with industry; and the Start-up Accelerator, which will support early-stage start-ups developing cutting-edge steel technologies.
The newly launched SteelCollab platform will serve as a matchmaking hub, connecting industry leaders, researchers, start-ups, and academia to drive decarbonisation, digitalisation, and advanced steel development.
This platform allows steel industries to present their problems while researchers and start-ups can propose their research and innovation ideas.
The event also featured a panel discussion on ‘Forging Innovation through Industry-Academia Collaboration,’ which highlighted the need for pilot testing facilities, industry-aligned university programs, and research priorities focused on green steel and decarbonisation.
Participants emphasised the role of start-ups in bridging the gap between academic research and industrial application, particularly in digital technologies and beneficiation processes.
A brainstorming session titled ‘Bridging the Gap Between Industry and Academia’ included 19 speakers from various sectors discussing collaboration opportunities and research priorities across the steel value chain.
The event concluded with participants expressing strong interest in collaborative research, establishing a foundation for future partnerships in steel sector innovation and technology development.
The event drew participation from major steel companies including SAIL, JSW, JSPL, Tata Steel, NMDC, JSL, RINL, and MECON. Premier academic institutions such as IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, IIT BHU, NIT Trichy, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, and ISM Dhanbad were also represented.
Research organisations like CSIR-IMMT, start-ups, and international entities including the Swedish Energy Agency and the Asian Development Bank attended the event.
(KNN Bureau)
