IISc Bengaluru Named Centre of Excellence Under India’s Critical Minerals Mission

Overview

• The Ministry of Mines formally recognised IISc as a Centre of Excellence under the National Critical Minerals Mission on October 31.
• The centre will establish an Integrated Critical Minerals R&D Facility covering exploration, extraction, processing, and recycling.
• Plans call for modular pilot‑scale plants built on indigenous processes to cut import dependence, with industry collaborations routed through IISc’s FSID.
• Priority projects include a greener lithium‑ion battery recycling route, recovery of platinum‑group elements from spent auto catalysts targeting up to 90% efficiency, and direct recycling of tungsten carbide tools.
• The initiatives are moving toward pilot development, including partnerships to recover rare‑earth oxides from mineral‑processing tailings to build circular value chains.