The Steel Research Technology Mission of India (SRTMI), a joint initiative of the Indian steel industry and academia supported by the Ministry of Steel, launched three new R&D schemes and a web portal during the event “Catalyzing R&D in the Indian Steel Sector” at Vigyan Bhawan here on Wednesday.

The event saw participation from major steel companies including SAIL, the country’s top academic institutions such as IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras and ISM Dhanbad and research startups.

International entities such as the Swedish Energy Agency and the Asian Development Bank also took part in the event.

Minister of State for Steel & Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma launched the R&D schemes and the SRTMI web portal, emphasizing their role in driving innovation and sustainability in the steel sector.

The minister said that the new R&D initiatives and SteelCollab will play a critical role as India moves towards a 300 million tonnes steel capacity by 2030. He highlighted the need to accelerate technology commercialization and indigenize capital goods manufacturing. He also noted that the SRTMI web portal will foster engagement, idea exchange, and industry-wide collaboration.

The three schemes launched by SRTMI include challenge method – identifying and solving critical industry-wide challenges of national interest, open innovation method – supporting open research proposals from academia and researchers in collaboration with industry and start-up accelerator – supporting early-stage startups to develop cutting-edge steel technologies

The SteelCollab platform will act as a matchmaking hub, connecting industry leaders, researchers, startups, and academia to drive decarbonization, digitalization, and advanced steel development. The solution seekers such as steel industries can pose their problems while researchers and startups can put forward their research / innovation ideas on this platform.

Sandeep Poundrik, Secretary, Ministry of Steel, highlighted India’s emergence as a global steel demand hub, projecting per capita consumption to rise from 100 kg to 158 kg before 2030. He also outlined key challenges, including plant efficiency, AI/ML adoption, digitization, and decarbonization, stressing the need for research tailored to India’s unique industry structure, where 45 per cent capacity lies in the secondary steel sector.

SAIL chairman Amarendu Prakash stressed the need for industry-academia collaboration to enhance India’s global steel competitiveness. He noted India's 11 per cent steel demand growth—significantly higher than the global average of 0.5 per cent —and underscored the importance of the R&D schemes in fostering joint research.

A panel discussion on “Forging Innovation through Industry-Academia Collaboration” underscored the need for pilot testing facilities, industry-aligned university programs, and research priorities focused on green steel and decarbonization. The role of startups in bridging the gap between academic research and industrial application, particularly in digital technologies and beneficiation processes, was also emphasised.

A brainstorming session on “Bridging the Gap Between Industry and Academia” featured 19 speakers from industry, academia, incubation centers, and startups, discussing collaboration opportunities and research priorities across the steel value chain.