Odisha first critical mineral refining company signs CSIR IMMT pact

The agreement was exchanged at the sixth Research, Industry, Start-up and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Conclave 2026 at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology campus in Salt Lake, Kolkata. The collaboration is intended to develop process and refining technologies for mineral values recovered from waste-derived and other non-primary resources.

RMPL and CSIR-IMMT will work on research, process development and technology advancement in a field that has gained attention as India seeks to strengthen domestic capabilities in critical-mineral processing and advanced materials. Secondary sources can offer an additional route to mineral recovery alongside conventional primary resources.

The MoU was among the agreements announced during the two-day conclave, which brought together CSIR laboratories, industry representatives, start-ups, investors and policymakers. CSIR-NIScPR listed Revanta Minerals, Bhubaneswar, among the CSIR-IMMT MoU exchanges for joint technology development at the event.

The exchange took place in the presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space. He is also Vice-President of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General of CSIR and Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, was also present at the conclave. She delivered the welcome address at the inaugural programme.

RISE Conclave 2026 was organised jointly by CSIR-IMMT, CSIR-IICB, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute and CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute. The programme was structured around four areas: minerals, medicine, materials and machines. CSIR-IMMT, based in Bhubaneswar, works across mineral processing, beneficiation, extraction and materials technologies.

For RMPL, the agreement provides a framework for linking industrial requirements with laboratory research in critical-mineral refining. The joint work is expected to move from research and process development towards technology applications for recovery and refining from secondary sources.