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, New Delhi, on March 12, 2025.
The event saw participation from major steel companies (SAIL, JSW, JSPL, Tata Steel, NMDC, JSL, RINL, MECON etc.), premier academic institutions (IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, IIT BHU, NIT Trichy, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, ISM Dhanbad, etc.), research organizations (CSIR-IMMT), startups, and international entities such as the Swedish Energy Agency and the Asian Development Bank.
Shri Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, Minister of State for Steel & Heavy Industries, launched the R&D schemes and the SRTMI web portal, emphasizing their role in driving innovation and sustainability in the steel sector.
Shri Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma emphasized that the new R&D initiatives and SteelCollab will play a critical role as India moves towards a 300 MT 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. Shri 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% of capacity lies in the secondary steel sector.
Shri Amarendu Prakash, Chairman, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) & President, SRTMI, stressed the need for industry-academia collaboration to enhance India’s global steel competitiveness. He noted India’s 11% steel demand growth significantly higher than the global average of 0.5% and underscored the importance of the R&D schemes in fostering joint research.
Shri Abhijit Narendra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Steel, delivered the opening address, highlighting the need for R&D and providing an overview of the new schemes and the web portal. Ms. Neha Verma, Director, Ministry of Steel & SRTMI, presented the R&D schemes, their implementation strategies, and introduced SteelCollab, a collaborative platform for industry, academia, research institutions, and startups to drive innovation.
Following are the three schemes launched by SRTMI today -
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
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.
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 emphasized. 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.
The event concluded with participants expressing strong interest in collaborative research, laying the foundation for future partnerships in steel sector innovation and technology development. Shri G. Sarathy Raja, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Steel, presented R&D initiatives supported by Ministry of Steel.