Deccan Gold Mines Ltd, India’s only listed gold and critical minerals resource company, has entered into a strategic partnership with the CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI) to jointly develop technologies for critical minerals processing and advanced battery materials, supporting India’s clean energy and strategic minerals ambitions.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed with the Karaikudi-based national research institute, marks a significant step in Deccan Gold’s strategy to build an integrated critical minerals business spanning resource development, advanced mineral processing and downstream value addition.
Focus on strategic minerals
Under the agreement, the two organisations will jointly undertake research and technology development in key areas including nickel extraction from nickel-platinum group element (PGE) ores, mineral beneficiation, hydrometallurgical process development, nickel-carbon battery materials, and value-addition technologies for lithium concentrates from Deccan Gold’s Mozambique operations.
The collaboration will also support project-specific research programmes, technology validation and future commercialisation opportunities.
Strengthening India’s supply chain
Deccan Gold Mines Managing Director Hanuma Prasad Modali said the partnership reflects the growing importance of critical minerals in shaping global industrial competitiveness.
“Critical minerals will define the industrial and technological landscape of the 21st century. Nations that lead in scientific innovation, mineral processing and downstream value addition, not merely resource extraction, will shape the global supply chains of the future,” he said.
He added that India possesses both the geological resources and scientific capabilities to emerge as a global leader in the critical minerals sector.
“Our collaboration with CSIR-CECRI brings together world-class research and responsible resource development to accelerate indigenous technologies, strengthen downstream capabilities and help build a globally competitive critical minerals ecosystem that advances India’s resource security, clean energy ambitions and economic resilience,” Modali said.
Leveraging scientific expertise
Established in 1953, CSIR-CECRI is one of India’s premier national laboratories under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The institute is internationally recognised for its work in electrochemistry, mineral processing, metallurgy, advanced materials and energy storage technologies.
It has developed several indigenous technologies, including India’s first lithium-ion battery fabrication technology, and continues to play a key role in advancing battery materials, electrochemical processes and mineral beneficiation technologies.
Beyond mining
Deccan Gold said the collaboration reinforces its long-term vision of building an integrated critical minerals platform that extends beyond exploration and mining into technology-led mineral processing, advanced materials and downstream applications.
The company said combining industry expertise with CSIR-CECRI’s scientific capabilities would help develop resilient domestic supply chains for strategic minerals that are vital for India’s energy transition, electric mobility and advanced manufacturing sectors.