UK-India critical minerals partnership gains momentum with groundbreaking collaboration

This includes establishing an observatory to monitor supply chains and material flows of critical minerals from mines to electric vehicles.

The partnership was announced after the UK Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Mr David Lammy, visited India to recognise the strengthening partnership between the two countries through the launch of the UK-India Technology Security Initiative.

Critical minerals – like lithium, copper, nickel, and cobalt – are crucial for modern technology and the global economy, particularly in high-tech industries and clean energy. They’re essential for bolstering national security, global competitiveness, industrial resilience, and sustainability. The UK and India recognise that urgent action is required to ensure responsible mining, refining and recycling of critical minerals to enable the transition to net zero.

Together with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, IfM will establish an observatory to facilitate collaboration among leading academics, innovators, and industry by sharing supply chain data.

The observatory will aim to create an industrial data infrastructure for the UK and India. This will enable the identification of risks, opportunities for recycling, and areas with shortages. It will offer recommendations to strengthen global supply chains and minimise disruptions in both the UK and India. Additionally, it aims to test new technologies, like personalised AI, to ensure stable supply chains and promote trade between the two countries. Lastly, it will improve critical minerals capabilities through increasing knowledge sharing around extraction and refining. 

CPI’s role in the partnership is to identify industrial challenges and launch an Innovation Sprint programme to find greener ways to extract and purify critical minerals by developing new manufacturing technologies. 

This initiative builds upon the ambitious agenda set out in the India-UK Roadmap 2030 and will sharpen the countries’ collaboration in critical and emerging technologies across priority sectors including advanced materials, semiconductors, and critical minerals. It will reinforce existing collaborative efforts, broaden the mandates of existing mechanisms, and establish new mechanisms for cooperation.

Dr Arun Harish, Chief Strategy Officer at CPI, said:

“Partnerships such as these are going to provide the blueprint for how we solve some of the biggest industrial challenges. By working closely with colleagues in India, we can find opportunities that benefit both nations’ energy security and crucially provide some much-needed answers on how we can move sustainably away from fossil fuels. This work will encourage investment in key sectors and eventually help provide economic opportunity for people in the UK and India as we work together to develop the industries of the future.”

Professor Tim Minshall, Head of IfM, said:

“Given the global challenges related to critical minerals affecting all nations, this programme is extremely important and timely. This observatory will play a key role in ensuring that technological innovation can be achieved in a way that is resilient, secure and sustainable. We are delighted that this programme is being taken forward as an international partnership, reflecting the fact that addressing critical mineral challenges requires an international approach.”

Professor Ramaswamy Murugavel, IIT Bombay, said:

“At IIT Bombay, we are excited to collaborate on the UK-India Critical Mineral Supply Chain Observatory, a project that addresses a key area of global importance. Leveraging our expertise in materials chemistry, we will focus on assessing and advancing extraction, refining, and recycling technologies for critical minerals. This collaboration not only fosters innovation but also strengthens the technological and scientific ties between India and the UK. Together, we aim to build a more resilient, transparent, and sustainable supply chain that is essential for the green energy transition.”

Dr Mukesh Kumar, Head of IfM’s Industrial Resilience Group, said:

“The University of Cambridge’s IfM Industrial Resilience Group is leading part of this project, which is establishing one of the world’s first critical mineral supply chain observatory labs. By building the largest data infrastructure for critical minerals, we aim to identify supply chain vulnerabilities, enhance capabilities, and promote ESG and sustainability. 

“We are guided by Prof. Swaminathan Sivaram of the Indian National Science Academy and IISER Pune in shaping the UK-India joint policy on critical mineral supply chains, focusing on data-driven decision-making, technological innovation, sustainability, and trade facilitation. We are proud to partner with Google Cloud, which provides cloud and AI technology support, and Prof. Ramaswamy Murugavel of IIT Bombay, whose expertise in materials chemistry will help us drive innovation and resilience in critical mineral supply chains, strengthening the UK-India partnership in this crucial field, which is vital for the green energy transition and digital transformation.” 

Mrutyunjay Suar, Chairman of BCKIC, said:

“The UK-India partnership marks a noteworthy milestone in driving the innovation and sustainability for critical minerals. Both countries aligning their strengths will not only address immediate challenges but also set the platform for long-term collaboration. 

“CPI plays a vital role by leading one of these initiatives and catalysing the synergy between industry leaders, academia and research institutes, which is crucial in developing tangible technologies that can add immense value to the critical mineral sector. We, at BCKIC, are committed to fostering these connections and building the capacity of Indian miners, ensuring that India plays a pivotal role in the sector, as evident from the large participation from the mining sectors of India.” 

Professor Paul Anderson, Co-director of the BCSECM, said:

“Key technologies that underpin the transition to ​‘Net Zero’ such as wind turbines, lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells are dependent on secure access to critical materials, but the required mineral resources, processing capability and expertise in recycling to ensure this are rarely found in one region alone. This landmark UK-India collaboration will promote improved elemental stewardship in both countries and help secure access to the critical materials that will make net zero a reality.”