PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Feb 3: Tata Steel has established a Centre for Innovation in Mining and Mineral Beneficiation at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad.
The company aims to strengthen its long-term competitiveness through excellence in developing technological solutions in natural and urban mining and beneficiation for value from low-grade and difficult ores.
The Centre will enable the growth of relevant research infrastructure, attract talent, and help strengthen the industry-academia collaborative eco-system in areas of strategic national importance. The creation of this Centre is aligned with Tata Steel’s focus on building closer ties with centres of academic excellence and setting up technology clusters in identified, strategic areas.
Debashish Bhattacharjee, Vice President, Technology and New Materials Business, at Tata Steel, said, “Collaboration between industry and academia is key to catalysing innovation and aiding sustainable business growth. IIT (ISM) Dhanbad provides a strong academic and research platform with an excellent talent pool in one of the areas of Tata Steel’s strategic, long- and short-term business interests – mining and mineral beneficiation. With the creation of this Centre for Innovation with Rs 22cr from Tata Steel, we look forward to jointly developing and scaling up technologies relevant to local mines and ores. Work at this centre will cover technology development for natural and urban mining. The Centre will also work on beneficiation and value addition of low-grade ores. Tata Steel is committed to pioneering disruptive development through active engagement with academic institutions.”
Prof. Rajiv Shekhar Director Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) said, “We are delighted to establish this Centre of Excellence (CoE) with Tata Steel Limited in the form of “Tata Steel Innovation Centre on Mining and Mineral Research (ICMMR) at IIT(ISM) Dhanbad” to strengthen Industry-Institute collaborations and solve real-life problems of mutual interest. IIT(ISM) Dhanbad, a world-renowned Institute in the fields of Mining, Mineral & Earth Sciences, is extremely pleased to work with Tata Steel Limited on this path-breaking initiative. Academia and industry need to forge such symbiotic partnerships that bring benefits to both. Such collaborative efforts will be instrumental in advancing research and innovation in technology development, besides creating a skilled workforce. Through this joint collaboration, we look forward to leveraging the latest technological advancements to groom our researchers and work towards the development of sustainable, innovative processes for a green and safe future.”
IIT (ISM) Dhanbad is a prestigious institute of eminence and capability, that will contribute to technological thought leadership and further strengthen Tata Steel’s Research and Development prowess.
The Innovation Center is strategically located to leverage the advantages of other nearby research institutes, regulatory bodies, and, more importantly, a trained and skilled workforce. The Center would be one of its kind in the state of Jharkhand and will target attracting youth towards research and development. The centre will further aim to achieve research excellence by attracting renowned experts and forming strategic partnerships with OEMs to provide complete solutions.
