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MISSION FOR ADVANCEMENT IN HIGH-IMPACT AREAS
JOINT CALL FOR CONSORTIA PROPOSALS
Critical Raw Materials Research Program
(CRM-Research Program)
by
ANUSANDHAN NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION
and
MINISTRY OF MINES
1Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Research Program: Call for Consortia
Proposals
1. MISSION DESCRIPTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
ANRF (Anusandhan National Research Foundation) was established by the ANRF Act
2023 in February 2024. ANRF represents India’s pioneering efforts to unleash Indian
research and innovation talent to achieve global scientific and technological excellence.
The Mission for Advancement in High-Impact Areas (MAHA) program has been
approved by ANRF, which will support priority-centric, solution-based research in a
mission-driven mode, focusing on key areas that align with the nation's primary
requirements. It is envisioned to be multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-
investigator projects with industrial partnerships in the most pressing areas of concern.
ANRF has identified “Critical Raw Materials (CRM)” as a research priority area to
include under the MAHA program, which will continue to play an essential role in the
nation's progress and economic growth as India embarks on the journey of Viksit Bharat
2047.
The MAHA CRM Research Program will be launched in consultation with the National
Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) of the Ministry of Mines. It will be a "limited call" where
the Centre of Excellence (COEs), as hubs, recognized by the Ministry of Mines, will be
invited to submit proposals in a consortium. The proposals should be structured in a hub-
and-spoke model to leverage R&D in critical raw materials and pool the core
competencies of each constituent under one umbrella. The spokes can be more open, but
hubs are limited.
1.2 AIM OF THE MISSION
The CRM Research Program aims to seed, foster, and nurture scientific and Industrial
R&D to create and demonstrate a vibrant, innovative, and agile ecosystem in Critical Raw
Materials (CRM) Research in India, driving fundamental understanding and supporting
specific technological advances. ANRF will focus on the mission mode outcomes, quality,
and impact. The CRM Research Program will help channel substantial funding for R&D
through ANRF, utilizing a hub-and-spoke model, where nine COEs, recognized by the
Ministry of Mines, should submit their research proposals.
1.3. OBJECTIVES:
The research program includes augmenting domestic critical mineral capacity,
technological advancements, and supporting the beneficiation, extraction, processing,
and recycling of critical minerals.
The program is to secure India’s critical mineral supply chain by ensuring mineral
availability from domestic sources and to strengthen the value chain by fostering
2innovation, skill development, etc., by supporting nine COEs recognized by the Ministry
of Mines.
To increase the critical mass of highly talented researchers in critical minerals in the
country, fostering research and education in a similar field
To build indigenous capacity and intellectual strength required to ensure self-reliance
of the nation in the strategic area of critical minerals.
1.4 PROCESS OF SELECTION:
The Ministry of Mines has recognized nine Centres of Excellence (COEs), and the list of
COEs is given below,
1) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay
2) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad
3) Indian Institute of Technology, Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad
4) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee
5) CSIR – Institute of Minerals & Materials Technology (IMMT), Bhubaneswar
6) CSIR – National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), Jamshedpur
7) Non-Ferrous Materials Technology Development Center (NFTDC), Hyderabad
8) Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore
9) Centre of Materials for Electronics and Technology (CMET), Hyderabad
The MAHA CRM Research Program will be launched in consultation with the National
Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) of the Ministry of Mines. It will be a “limited call”
where nine Centres of Excellence (COEs) recognized by the Ministry of Mines will be
invited to submit proposals in a consortium mode. The proposals should be structured
in a Hub (COE) & Spoke (other government/private academic institutions) model to
leverage R&D in critical raw materials and pool the core competence of each constituent
under one umbrella. The spokes can be more open, but hubs are limited. The following
diagram explains the structure of COE.
COE
(Hub)
Academic
Institutions Industry parter
(Spoke) **
**Please refer to Section 7 for details. ** **
The emphasis will be on bridging the “lab-to-market” gap by ensuring that the
technology development process is co-owned by academia and industry, thus facilitating
faster adoption and commercialization.
● The proposal developed by COE in consortia with industrial partners should include:
3(a) A clearly articulated industry problem statement with a single focus. It
should be different for each COE.
(b) The TRL level (Technology Readiness Level) should be at least TRL 2 (i.e., the
COEs should start work from a level of existing maturity.
(c) The translation pathway for converting research outputs into deployable
technologies and COE is responsible for the transition.
(d) A Letter of Intent from the identified industry partner with a credible
and compelling plan for translational research, explicitly mentioning their
role, commitment, resources, and interest in co-developing and co-funding
(complementary funding) the project proposed by the COE in alignment with the
policies of the Ministry of Mines.
(e) Specific deliverables that are actionable and aligned with national
priorities. There should be major milestones (at least one) for each year. Ongoing
funding will be based on the achievement of milestones.
(f) If required, the proposal may include a plan for pilot plants for recovery of critical
minerals from secondary sources which will be dealt with Ministry of Mines
separately.
● The fund, to be approved per COE (Hub) with spokes, will be based upon evaluation of
the proposal, especially the quality of the plan of translation of the R&D, and the
necessary co-investments to support that by the industry partner. If this is not
satisfactory, those proposals may be deferred (and may be asked to update their
proposal) or will not be supported if weak.
● The selection will be based on the recommendations of the Mission Technical
Program Committee (MTPC), which is to be constituted by ANRF. If required, the
Director/ Head of The Centre (HoC) of COE/Principal Investigator (PI) of the R&D
project may be called for discussion/ presentation.
2. ANNOUNCEMENT
Under the CRM Research Program, COEs (identified by the Ministry of Mines) are invited to submit
innovative proposals in a consortium mode aligned with the Mission's objectives. The Principal
Investigator (PI)/Director of the COEs will, together, be responsible for setting up the CRMRG with
a Hub (COE) & Spoke (other government/private academic institutions) structure under the
guidance of the Mission Technical Program Committee (MTPC). The proposals should
demonstrate interdisciplinary CRM Research to propel technological applications and transfer,
indigenous contributions, and impactful outcomes, as well as address fundamental issues of Critical
Minerals in the priority areas mentioned in Annexure-I.
3. FOCUSED AREAS OF RESEARCH IN CRM RESEARCH PROGRAM
The following are the focused areas of R&D in critical raw materials, which may lead to technology
development and frontier technology's role in mining, extraction, recycling, and processing value
chains:
i. Focused R&D to reach higher Technology Readiness Levels of TRL 6+ in CRM;
ii. Non-destructive technologies for Critical Mineral Exploration and AI-based exploration Data
Processing
4iii. Critical Mineral Potential Assessment, Resource Estimation, and Multi-Metal Recovery from
Mine Waste and Surrounding Host Rocks.
iv. Beneficiation, process technologies to extract critical raw materials from any feedstock, and
recycling.
v. Combining the generic processes that are required to process any feedstock that contains
critical raw materials and dovetailing it to specific feedstock.
vi. Reduced metals and specialty chemicals that aid in beneficiation and separation processes;
vii. Manufacturing of chemicals used in beneficiation and extraction (solvent extraction and ion
exchange);
viii. Process equipment design, development, and fabrication;
ix. Encourage and engage researchers in the domain of extractive metallurgy;
x. AI/ ML tools; AI-ML tools can be used to accelerate the CRM research in order to achieve the
proposed goal.
xi. Any other related area
4. PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS & FUNDING OF R&D PROJETS
The requirement for funds to undertake R&D in critical raw materials shall be met through the
Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). The funding pattern for the approved project
proposals under the Programme shall be as follows:
i. The financial support under the Program would include laboratory equipment, plant/
machinery, chemicals, support to research staff (JRF, SRF, RA) until the project period,
research literature, and consumables, as well as the filing of patents.
ii. ANRF will assign funding directly to the Hub institute (COE will be operated as a Hub), and the
Hub will subsequently disburse funds to the constituent Spokes within the consortium based on
their level of participation.
iii. The Hub (COE) is responsible for disbursing funds to Spokes and ensuring their compliance
with reporting, milestone achievement, and audit requirements.
iv. Total Mission Outlay:
210 Cr for 3 years for 9 Centres of Excellence (COE) from ANRF
v. Industry Partners: Mandatory 10% in-cash cost-sharing contribution alongside a credible plan for
translational research.
vi. The exact amount of funding given to Hub and Spoke will be recommended by the Mission
Technical Program Committee (MTPC) and approved by the ANRF.
vii. The duration of the R&D project will be up to 3 years.
viii. The funds will be released in three installments (at least). The first installment (including
capital) will be released after approval of the R&D project. The second and third installments
will be released upon receipt of a satisfactory achievement-cum-performance report, acceptance
of the Utilization Certificate, and approval by the competent authority of ANRF. The number of
5installments may be changed on a case-by-case basis.
ix. Major milestones (at least one) for each year should be proposed by the PI/ COE HoC /Director
of COE. Ongoing funding will depend on achieving milestones.
5. MODE OF SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL:
The Call for applications will be notified through the online portal of
ANRF "www.anrfonline.in".
The proposals under the CRM mission should be submitted in online mode only through the
website "www.anrfonline.in".
Proposals submitted in any mode or platform other than the designated one will not be
considered by ANRF
7. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND OTHER DETAILS
A detailed outline of the eligibility criteria for the consortia members of CRM Research Group is
given below:
i. Consortia-based proposals submitted by the recognized Centres of Excellence (COEs) identified
by the Ministry of Mines under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM), related to CRM.
The PI/Director of COE is eligible to apply for only one proposal during a call, as only one
proposal is to be submitted from a single COE.
ii. The recognized COE will be operated as a consortium, on a hub-and-spoke model, to leverage
R&D in critical raw materials and pool the core competence of each constituent under one
umbrella.
iii. In the consortium, the COE becomes the Hub, and other entities from research & academia
(institutes/ universities) become the Spokes. The Hub Institute will be recognized as the COE.
iv. The recognized COE will submit consortia-based proposals involving at least two industry
partners and at least two R&D or academic partners (Spokes) working in the field of
critical minerals and related areas, such as materials science, geology, mining, and metallurgy.
v. Applicants [Principal Investigator (PI)/ COE HoC/Director of COE for Hub and Co-Principal
Investigator(s) (Co-PI(s)) for Spoke] should be Indian citizens. Foreign nationals (including
OCI and NRI) are also eligible to apply, provided they fulfill the eligibility criteria of ANRF.
vi. The applicant(s) must hold a regular academic/research position in a recognized educational
institution/national laboratory/ any other recognized R&D institution in India with a proven
track record in the relevant domain.
vii. Government Academic Institutions (Central Universities, State Universities, IITs, IISERs,
National Labs, etc) can be the spoke.
viii. Private Academic institutions with valid UGC/AICTE/PCI approval, Private R&D institutions
with valid DSIR-SIRO recognition, and voluntary and Non-governmental organizations
registered under the NITI-AAYOG Darpan portal are eligible to be the Spoke.
ix. PI/Co-PI should have at least 3 years of service remaining at the time of submission of the
proposal.
6x. ANRF may suggest restructuring the proposals and reorganizing the consortium members
based on the nature of the work area, merits, and technology requirements. Accordingly, it may
request revised project proposals from COEs.
xi. Proposals submitted must be original in ideation and content. Applications are requested to
pre-check their proposals for plagiarism before uploading. Plagiarism in any form will not be
acceptable. All submitted proposals will be subjected to a third-party similarity check, and
proposals may be rejected if they are found to be plagiarized. Any text taken verbatim from
another source needs to be identified using quotation marks and a proper reference.
xii. The COE should possess the necessary infrastructure, laboratories, equipment, and resources
to support CRM research, experimentation, and collaboration within the given area.
8. TERMS & CONDITIONS:
8.1 Implementation of the project:
i. Approval of the research proposal and the grant release are contingent upon the specific
project being sanctioned and should be exclusively spent on project-related activities within
the stipulated timeframe. The COE (Institute/University) may seek funds or in-kind support
from relevant industries (Government, Semi-Government, Autonomous, and Private) for this
research project, keeping the ANRF informed about the same.
ii. The Institute (COE)/ Principal Investigator (PI)/ Co-PI will furnish a Progress Report of the
work on the project after attaining the following benchmark in the first 6 (six) months of
project implementation:
a) Appointment of manpower, providing date of appointment & qualifications.
b) Status regarding acquisition of assets sanctioned under the project.
c) Status regarding procurement of sanctioned equipment under the capital head.
iii. The Institute (COE) will not entrust the implementation of the work for which the grant is
being sanctioned to another institution, nor will it divert the grant receipts to another
Institute as assistance. If the Institute is unable to implement or complete the project, it shall
refund to ANRF the entire grant received or the balance of the grant, with interest.
iv. All the personnel, including Research personnel appointed under the project, for the full/ part
duration of the project, are to be treated as temporary employees and will be governed by the
administrative rules/ service conditions (for leave, TA/DA, etc) of the implementing Institute.
They are not to be treated as employees of the ANRF or the Government of India, nor as
permanent employees of the Institute. The ANRF will have no liability whatsoever for the
project staff after the project duration is completed.
v. For the expeditious implementation of the research project, the PI will seek the assistance of
the Institute in the process of selecting and appointing sanctioned research personnel/staff,
as well as in making payments to them. Scale and emoluments for posts not covered under
the ANRF order are governed by the norms prevalent in the implementing Institution or as
decided in consultation with ANRF.
vi. The project becomes operative on the date the Electronic Transfer is received by the
7implementing Institution (COE).
vii. If the results of research are to be legally protected, they should not be published without
action being taken to secure legal protection for the research findings.
viii. Any Intellectual Property (IP) generated under the program shall be governed by a joint IP
policy developed between ANRF, Ministry of Mines, and the concerned COE, ensuring fair
benefit sharing between academia and industry partners
8.2 Utilization of the Funds:
i. The host institute (COE) and the Principal Investigator (PI) must ensure that the funds are
used exclusively for the approved research project.
ii. The host institute (COE) must maintain separate audited accounts for the project. Funds
should be kept in an interest-earning bank account, with any accrued interest reported to the
ANRF in the Statement of Expenditure (SE) or Utilization Certificate (UC).
iii. The COE (University/Institute/Organization) will take the responsibilities of submission
of all Financial Documents for the disbursement, receiving, and settlement of funds in
time as required.
iv. Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) is implementing the new TSA hybrid
model for fund flow in respect of ANRF Schemes (Scheme Code - 4211). The COE
(University/ Institute/Organization) should follow the TSA-SOP available at
www.anrfonline.in.
v. The fund shall not be utilized for the construction of any building unless a specific provision
is made for that purpose by ANRF. The host institute is responsible for providing essential
infrastructure (accommodation, space, water, electricity, communication, etc.) for the
project.
vi. Any expenditure incurred prior to the issue of the financial sanction and after the expiry of
the sanctioned duration of the project will not be admissible.
8.3 Monitoring the Progress of the Project:
i. PIs should submit annual progress reports in their specified format through the ANRF
online portal.
ii. In addition to annual reviews, mid-term evaluation may be conducted by the Mission
Technical Program Committee (MTPC) to assess translational progress and technology
readiness
iii. ANRF will periodically monitor the project. The PI should attend the Monitoring
Meetings/Workshops to present the progress/outcome of the research project, as and when
organized.
iv. ANRF may designate a specialist or an Expert Panel to visit the host institute to review the
progress of the work being carried out and to suggest suitable measures to ensure the
realization of the objectives of the project. During the implementation of the project, the
Institute will provide all necessary facilities to visiting scientists, specialists, or the Expert
Panel, including accommodation, during their visit.
8v. Proposals should outline expected TRL advancement at the end of each year to demonstrate
technology maturity.
vi. All projects must comply with applicable environmental, safety, and statutory regulations
during implementation
8.4 Release of Next Instalment of Funds:
i. At the end of each financial year (FY) and at the time of seeking further instalment of grant,
the Institute/PI has to furnish the following documents strictly as per ANRF formats, and
upload the same through the ANRF online portal:
a. Audited Utilization Certificate (UC), and up-to-date Statement of Expenditure (SE) for
the financial year in the correct format.
b. Annual/interim progress report, as per approved format.
c. List of publications/patents, if any, from the project.
d. List of Assets acquired till that Financial Year.
ii. The release of the next installment of the grant will be contingent upon the submission of
financial statements and their acceptance by ANRF.
8.5 Transfer, Extension, and Termination of the Project:
i. If the PI/COE HoC/Director wishes to terminate the project, they must inform ANRF
immediately, providing proper justification. The host institute (COE) should not incur any
expenditure from the date of termination of the project or the date of resignation of the PI,
whichever is earlier.
ii. The PI/COE HoC/Director must seek the consent of ANRF if they intend to be away from
the implementing Institute (except for field work related to the project) continuously for a
period of more than eight weeks after submitting a proper supportive plan, without
disturbing the interest/progress of the project.
iii. ANRF reserves the right to terminate the project at any stage if it is convinced that (i)
appropriate progress is not being made, (ii) the grant has not been utilized properly, or (iii)
furnishing of false information or suppression of factual information.
iv. Transfer of the project from one Institution to another is not allowed as the support is
institution-specific (COE).
v. The duration of the R&D project will be up to 3 years.
8.6 Settlement of Accounts of the Project:
i. The following documents must be uploaded to the ANRF online portal within three months
after the completion of the project duration:
a. Final Consolidated Statement of Expenditure (SE), giving expenditure financial year-
wise (FY) from the date of start till the date of completion.
b. Utilization Certificates (FY-wise), matching with Statement of Expenditure figures.
c. Project Completion Report (PCR) with a list of publications and patents filed/granted.
9ii. The host institution, with the coordination of the Principal Investigator (PI), is primarily
responsible for the timely submission of utilization certificates, statements of expenditure,
progress/monitoring reports, the project closure report (PCR), and the refund of any
unspent balance at the end or in the event of early closure of the project. If, due to unforeseen
circumstances, the PI is unable to settle the project's accounts, the host institution must
submit the above documents to ANRF for the proper closure and settlement of the project's
accounts.
8.7 Maintenance of Assets Procured Under the Project:
i. The host institute (COE) must maintain an audited register of permanent or semi-
permanent assets acquired primarily with capital funds, including immovable property and
movable capital assets listed in the sanction order. The Institute may be required to send a
list of these assets to the ANRF.
ii. Assets acquired with project funds are considered part of the Institutional Inventory, gifted
by the ANRF. They cannot be disposed of or encumbered without prior approval from ANRF.
ANRF has the discretion to allow other investigators to utilize the assets for projects
sanctioned by ANRF or advise the host institute to transfer them to any other institute if
deemed appropriate.
iii. The Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG), at its discretion, shall have the right of
access to the books and accounts of the Institute maintained in respect of the fund received
from the ANRF.
8.8 Guidelines for Online Application Submission
For successful online submission of the application, the following points may be noted:
a) PI and Co-PI(s) should first register on the official website, click here to register.
b) After logging in, applicant(s) are required to fill all the mandatory fields in the Profile Detail
section.
c) Some of the key elements of the proposal should be defined clearly, such as Project Title (max
500 characters), Project summary (max 3000 characters), Keywords (max 6), Objectives of
the project (max 1500 characters), Target values being set for the project, Expected output
and outcome of the proposal (max 1500 characters)
d) Other Technical Details (OTD) of the proposal must be uploaded as a single file in PDF format.
10Annexure-I
PRIORITY AREAS:
Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) can be grouped into twenty-one sets of elements based on their
feedstock, allowing for the formulation of a strategy for R&D, including beneficiation and process
technologies to extract critical raw materials. These sets are listed in the table below.
Table 1: Grouping of Critical Minerals/Metals based on Sources of Raw Materials for
Focused R&D
Set Target Critical Raw Critical Raw Materials Sources
Materials
PRIMARY SOURCES (ORES AND BENEFICIATION PRODUCTS)
1 Co, Mo, Ni, Ti, V, PGE, Ferrous ores (Iron, Manganese, Chromite, Vandiferrous,
Li from Mn-ore lateritic Ni, etc.)
2 Cd, Co, Ga, Li, In, Mo, Non-ferrous ores (Base Metal Circuits of Al, Cu, Pb, Zn,
Ni, Re, REE, Se, Te, Ti, Sn) and Zircon and Ilmenite
V, Zr
3 K, P, REE Fertilizer Minerals (Phosphorites, Glauconite, Potash Salt)
4 REE, V, W Graphite ore, Celestite (Sr)
5 Be, Li, Nb, Tn, Columbite/ tantalite, WO3 concentrate, Para
tungstate, Tungsten & Gold ores
6 PGE, Co, Ni PGE ores
7 Nb, Ta, REE, Zr REE ores
8 Different critical Other ores except atomic minerals
minerals/ metals
9 Co, Mo, Ni, REE, Ti Polly-metallic nodules and other offshore minerals
SECONDARY SOURCES
10 Above critical metals Mine Rejects/old mine dumps.
11 Be, Cd, Co, Ga, In, K, Beneficiation tailings of base metal, graphite, rock
Li, Mo, Ni, Nb, P, phosphate, etc. (generated by physical separation
PGE, Re, REE, Se, Sn, processes of different ores), and
Ta, Te, Ti, V, W, Zr processes residues from an alumina refinery and gold.
12 Cd, Co, Ga, Mo, Nb, Ni, Slag
Re, `REE, Se, Ta, Te, (Smelter slag of copper, Lead & Zinc, and tin, slag of
Ti, V iron & steel industry, and Ferro-alloys)
13 Cd, Co, Ga, Li, Mo, Ni, Sludge
Re, REE, Se, Te, Ti, V, [Sludge of Cu-Pb-Zn refining, manganese dioxide, etc.]
W, Zr,
14 Cd, Co, In, Mo, Ni, Anode slimes formed during the electro-refining of
PGE, Se, Sn, Te,Ti metals
15 Ni, V, PGM, REE Flue dusts from pyrometallurgical processes, such as
smelters, rotary kilns, and thermal plants.
16 Co, Ga, Li, Ni, REE, Ti, Fly Ash/Pond Ash from Power plants
V,
TERTIARY SOURCES
1117 Co, Mo, Nb, Ni, Ta, Metallic scrap:- Ferrous metals /
V, W/Co, Ni, REE, Ti, Non-ferrous metals and alloys
Sn
18 Li, Cd, Co, Mo, Ni, Used Batteries (Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, Li-Ion, Co, Cu,
Pb-Acid & graphite batteries)
19 Ni, PGE, Mo, Ti, V Spent Catalysts
20 Cd, Ga, In, Li, Ni, REE, electronic waste (e-waste), including EOL solar PV panels
PGM, Sn, Ta
Process supportive technologies
21 All Reductants (Ca, Na, Mg) are won by electrolysis and
Chemicals/additives.
Salts of chlorides, fluorides, and sulphates are the starting
point.
Each COE may identify its thematic focus from one or more sets listed below, based on existing strengths
and regional relevance of mineral resources
The explanation for TRL can be found as below,
https://www.dst.defence.gov.au/sites/default/files/basic_pages/documents/TRL%20Explanations_1.pdf
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