CM Hemant Soren visits Imperial College London to explore critical minerals research
London / Ranchi, January 24: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren today visited the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College London as…
London / Ranchi, January 24: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren today visited the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College London as part of the state’s ongoing international outreach to strengthen cooperation in critical minerals, advanced processing technologies, and clean energy transitions. The visit focused on understanding global best practices in mineral research and exploring long-term academic and technology partnerships to support Jharkhand’s industrial development.
Tour of Advanced Research Facilities
During the visit, the Chief Minister toured key laboratories at the Royal School of Mines and interacted with faculty members and researchers working on critical minerals processing, advanced materials, and nuclear-linked research. The visit provided an overview of how cutting-edge scientific research is being translated into industrial applications.
Interaction with Leading Global Experts
The Chief Minister received detailed briefings from Professor Stephen Neethling, Professor Mark Wenman, Professor Mark Sephton, Professor Mukesh Kumar of the University of Cambridge, and Dr Surya Kumar Singh, a mining expert. The experts shared insights into ongoing research in mineral beneficiation, materials science, nuclear engineering, and advanced sensing technologies.
ALSO READ: Kumbh, Sanatan and Modi’s cultural vision
Focus on Value Addition and Industrial Scaling
The laboratories showcased advanced techniques in mineral characterisation, processing optimisation, modelling, and imaging, demonstrating pathways for scaling early-stage research to industrial-level applications. Discussions focused on how such technologies could enable resource-rich states like Jharkhand to move beyond raw mineral extraction towards value addition, thereby strengthening domestic capabilities across the critical minerals value chain.
R&D-Led Industrial Ecosystems
Chief Minister Hemant Soren underlined Jharkhand’s ambition to build R&D-led industrial ecosystems, aligned with the state’s commitment to a just, sustainable, and forward-looking industrial transition. He highlighted the importance of integrating research, technology, and skills development to support Jharkhand’s long-term growth.
Faculty members, in turn, highlighted Imperial College London’s interdisciplinary approach, which brings together earth sciences, materials engineering, computational modelling, and policy research to address complex challenges related to mining, clean energy, and industrial decarbonisation.
Strengthening International Partnerships
The visit reaffirmed Jharkhand’s intent to pursue long-term academic and research partnerships with leading global institutions. Potential areas of collaboration include technology development, skill enhancement, research exchange, and institutional capacity building.
The engagement was described as an important step toward deepening international cooperation and positioning Jharkhand as an emerging hub for critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and sustainable industrial growth.
