Indian Union Minister Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma launched three R&D initiatives under the Steel Research Technology Mission of India (SRTMI) to advance steelmaking innovation, according to an official statement.
SRTMI, a joint effort between the Ministry of Steel and the domestic steel industry, aims to foster research and sustainability. At the ‘Catalysing R&D in the Indian Steel Sector’ event in New Delhi, Varma introduced the new R&D schemes and the SteelCollab web portal, emphasizing their role in India’s goal of reaching 300 mln tons of steel capacity by 2030.
Steel Secretary Sandeep Poundrik stressed the importance of research tailored to India’s steel sector, where 45pct of capacity lies in secondary steel production.
The three initiatives include the Challenge Method, which tackles industry-wide challenges of national importance; the Open Innovation Method, supporting collaborative research between academia and industry; and the Start-up Accelerator, which funds early-stage startups developing advanced steel technologies. The SteelCollab platform will serve as a hub, connecting industry leaders, researchers, startups, and academia to drive decarbonization, digitalization, and innovation in steel production.
