The mining technology innovation hub of Jharkhand-based Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad forged an agreement with Ahmedabad-based International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCreate) to provide smart, safe and sustainable tech solutions for the Indian mining industry.
Technology Innovation in Exploration and Mining Foundation (TEXMiN) unit of IIT-ISM Dhanbad on Monday entered into a partnership with iCreate, the country’s leading innovation-based start-up incubator, by signing a letter of collaboration (LoC) in Ahmedabad to “revolutionise the operations in the mining industry through innovation,” said Rajni Singh, dean of media and branding, IIT (ISM).
“The partnership will enable start-ups to help in the electrification of heavy-duty mining equipment and the retrofitting and electrification of widely used machinery. Innovators will also actively work in collaboration to advance energy conservation and ‘greenification’ along with identifying solutions to recover and regenerate energy from mining-related activities. The partnership will also make efforts to improve the work environment and health and safety conditions in the mining industry,” said Singh.
The start-ups incubated by iCreate and innovators as part of the agreement will work together with TEXMiN to co-create solutions to integrate electromobility (e-mobility) in mining.
“The objective of TEXMiN is to promote the use of the latest technologies in mining and exploration. The electric vehicle (EV) industry’s advancement is still in the early stages, with many of these vehicles still in the concept stage, and as with most emerging technologies, time is still needed for EV mining technology to develop on the market and slowly upgrade to a competitively priced product. The initiative to collaborate with iCreate will certainly help the startups and mining landscape to develop and adapt to the advancement in EV technology,” said IIT (ISM) Dhanbad deputy director and TEXMiN Foundation project director Dheeraj Kumar.
As a result of this collaboration, TEXMiN and iCreate will work together in enhancing the efficiency of mining equipment through electrification and to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels like diesel or gasoline.
Energy regenerative solutions will also be deployed to recover energy generated from various sources to be used in alternate applications through a sustainable energy cycle.
Commenting on the partnership, iCreate CEO Avinash Punekar said: “At iCreate, we are passionate about fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in diverse industries. Our partnership with TEXMiN represents a major step forward to promote progress in the mining industry. With the emergence of EVs and the demand for natural resources, there is an increasing need for innovation in the mining space to deepen our expertise and capabilities.”
“Through this partnership, iCreate will identify and support start-ups from its portfolio that have relevant solutions in the mining space in the form of paid pilots and technology demonstrations.,” added Punekar.
