The Steel Research Technology Mission of India (SRTMI), a collaborative effort between the Indian steel industry and academia, has launched three new research and development (R&D) schemes and a dedicated web portal at the event titled “Catalysing R&D in the Indian Steel Sector” held at Vigyan Bhawan. The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Steel and aims to drive innovation and sustainability in India’s steel industry.

The event brought together leading steel companies such as SAIL, top academic institutions like IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, ISM Dhanbad, and various research startups. International entities, including the Swedish Energy Agency and the Asian Development Bank, also participated in the discussions.

Minister of State for Steel & Heavy Industries, Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, officially launched the new R&D schemes and the SRTMI web portal, emphasizing their crucial role in achieving India’s goal of reaching a 300 million tonnes steel capacity by 2030. He stressed the importance of accelerating technology commercialisation and indigenising capital goods manufacturing, with the web portal serving as a platform for collaboration, idea exchange, and engagement within the steel industry.

The three new R&D schemes introduced by SRTMI include:

  • Challenge Method: Addressing critical industry-wide challenges of national interest.
  • Open Innovation Method: Supporting research proposals from academia and researchers in collaboration with industry.
  • Start-up Accelerator: Assisting early-stage startups in developing innovative steel technologies.

The newly launched SteelCollab platform will act as a matchmaking hub, facilitating connections between industry leaders, researchers, startups, and academia to foster decarbonisation, digitalisation, and the development of advanced steel technologies.

Sandeep Poundrik, Secretary of the Ministry of Steel, highlighted India’s growing role as a global steel demand hub, with per capita consumption projected to rise significantly before 2030. He also addressed challenges such as plant efficiency, AI/ML adoption, digitisation, and decarbonisation, stressing the need for research solutions tailored to India’s unique industry structure.

SAIL Chairman Amarendu Prakash emphasised the importance of industry-academia collaboration to strengthen India’s global competitiveness in steel. The event featured a panel discussion on “Forging Innovation through Industry-Academia Collaboration,” which focused on pilot testing facilities, university programs aligned with industry needs, and research on green steel and decarbonisation. A brainstorming session discussed bridging the gap between industry and academia, with 19 experts offering insights on collaboration opportunities across the steel value chain.

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