India-Australia Research 
Partnerships: Critical Minerals 
and Green Steel

Driving innovation, sustainable industry 
and economic opportunities together

Highlights summary | 2023–2026



From January 2023 to June 2026, CSIRO delivered two Australian 
Government-funded partnerships with India to accelerate innovation 
in critical minerals, green steel, advanced processing, clean energy 
supply chains and future workforce capability.

The partnerships aligned with major priorities in both countries, 
including Australia’s Future Made in Australia agenda and India’s 
National Critical Minerals Mission and Green Steel Initiative. The work 
supported value‑adding to resources, supply chain resilience, industrial 
decarbonisation, clean energy manufacturing and workforce capability.

Key statistics

$22.7 
million

investment 

from the 
Australian 
Government 

(part of the updated 
India Economic 
Strategy to 2035)

10 research 
projects and 
28 student 
projects

World-first rice 
husk biomass 
gasification for 
steelmaking 

Establishment 
of new research 
and piloting 
infrastructure 
for Australia

Australia–India 
researcher and science 
network established 
to support long-term 
collaboration

High-level snapshot of partnerships

India–Australia 
Critical Minerals 
Research Partnership

A$12.2 
million

FOCUS AREAS: Discovery, minerals processing, rare earth 
metallisation and battery materials.

ACTIVITIES: Piloting, demonstrations, industry engagement, 
technology development.

India–Australia 
Green Steel 
Research Partnership

A$10.5 
million

FOCUS AREAS: Ore upgrading, biomass substitution, process 
optimisation low carbon ironmaking and carbon management.

ACTIVITIES: Piloting, demonstrations, industry engagement, 
technology development.

India–Australia 
Minerals Scholar 
Network

Jointly 
supported

FOCUS AREAS AND ACTIVITIES: Students, study exchanges 
and travel opportunities, PhD projects, internships and 
research mobility.





Front cover photo: CSIRO scientists Dr Mario Iglesias-Martinez and Dr Erick Ramanaidou (second and third from the left) working 
alongside representatives from the Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai and Geological Survey of India sampling REE-containing 
carbonatites in the Sung Valley, Meghalaya State, India.



Creating impact 
through partnership

Australia and India share 
complementary strengths 
and common challenges. 
Australia brings world-class 
resources, processing capability 
and research expertise. India brings 
fast-growing demand, advanced 
manufacturing ambition and major 
decarbonisation priorities. 

Together, the Critical Minerals and Green Steel 
Research Partnerships:

• Developed practical pathways to secure critical 
minerals supply chains.
• Added value to resources through 
downstream processing.
• Supported resilient and responsible critical 
minerals supply chains.
• Advanced technologies for low-emissions 
iron and steelmaking.
• Built enduring research, industry and 
government networks.
• Created training pathways for the next 
generation of minerals and steel researchers.


Pathways to reduce CO2 emissions in steelmaking

ORE UPGRADE

1 

AI2O3 / P 
deportment

Characterise the 
deportment of 
deleterious elements 
in Australia and 
Indian ores.

2 

AI2O3 / P 
removal from ores

Upgrade ore through 
beneficiation 
and separation 
to increase 
iron content.

PROCESS 
OPTIMISATION

3

Agglomeration 
and reduction 
behaviour of 
goethitic ores

Optimise pelletising 
and reduction 
behaviour for Indian 
and Australian ores.

LOW-CARBON IRONMAKING 

4

Introduction 
of renewable 
energy in existing 
processes

Replace fossil-based 
electricity with 
renewables.

5 

Pig iron 
production 
(Electricity / H2)

Produce iron using 
electricity and/or 
hydrogen‑based 
reduction/smelting 
technologies.

CARBON 
MANAGEMENT

6

Carbon Capture, 
Utilisation and 
Storage (CCUS)

Capture CO2 from 
steelmaking and 
recycle to reduction 
processes.

INDIA-AUSTRALIA GREEN STEEL PARTNERSHIP

Ore 
beneficiation

Agglomeration 
optimisation

Renewable 
energy

Hydrogen-based 
ironmaking

Carbon capture, 
utilisation and usage

Collaborating for low-emission iron and steel production



Critical minerals research highlights

The Critical Minerals Research Partnership delivered innovation across the minerals-to-products value chain, 
including exploration tools, titanium–vanadium processing, rare earth recovery and metallisation and battery 
cathode material production.

HIGHLIGHTS

Exploration

New exploration tools and workflows 
developed for lithium, rare earth 
elements, chromium and nickel using 
integrated mineral systems approaches, 
hyperspectral mapping, geochemical datasets 
and critical minerals targeting workflows for 
India with more refined models for Australia.

Processing

Produce high-purity vanadium, 
titanium and magnetite products. 
Pilot-scale titanium-vanadium 
process demonstrated.

Rare earths

Novel beneficiation and metallisation 
processes with lower-temperature 
pathways and new intellectual 
property potential.

Battery materials

New lithium-ion and sodium‑ion 
cathode active material production 
methods from mineral-derived 
feedstocks.





Scanning electron micrographs of rare earth element-bearing 
crystal phases grown in tailing slags at high temperatures; 
the recovery of rare earth elements can be enhanced through 
the formation of these phases.

Green steel research highlights

The Green Steel Research Partnership targeted one of the most challenging decarbonisation challenges: reducing 
emissions from iron and steelmaking using ore types common to both Australia and India. The work advanced 
near‑term emission reduction options and longer-term technologies for green iron and steel.

• Improved understanding of low-grade iron ore 
impurities and cold upgrading pathways.
• Demonstrated the potential to prepare goethitic 
ores for direct reduced iron processes.
• Assessed biomass sources and pathways for 
low‑emissions iron and steelmaking.
• Established foundations for hydrogen plasma 
smelting and carbon capture and recycling.
• Supported the development of a prototype furnace 
to undertake proof-of-concept testing for direct 
reduction/smelting iron by hydrogen ionic gas. 


Goethitic ore to pellets for DR shaft furnace and low-carbon 
ironmaking processes.



World-first demonstration

A standout achievement was the world-first full-scale demonstration of rice husk biomass gasification for iron ore 
reduction at Jindal Steel in Odisha, India. The trial showed that agricultural biomass can be integrated into 
steelmaking pathways, with potential benefits for emissions reduction, air quality, agricultural residue 
management and regional economic activity.

Rice 
husks 

Biomass 
pellets

Blend with 
coal feed 

Steel 
production

Lower 
emissions

Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) steelmaking plant in 
Odisha where the biomass demonstration in steelmaking 
was undertaken.

An India-Australia collaboration has successfully demonstrated 
in India that biomass locally sourced from agricultural waste 
can partially replace coal in steelmaking, using existing 
gasifiers at a JSPL steel plant. Mr Warren Flentje (CSIRO, left) 
with a representative from Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL, right).

Translating research into technology and commercial opportunities 

Across both Partnerships, technologies progressed through various stages of development, resulting in invention 
disclosures, patent opportunities, pilot-scale demonstrations and industry engagement pathways.

The Partnerships generated a strong pipeline of technologies with commercial potential.

PATHWAY

HIGHLIGHT

POTENTIAL IMPACT

Titanium–vanadium 
processing

Advanced from bench to pilot scale.

More value from critical minerals 
and new processing opportunities.

Rare earth 
metallisation

Demonstrated novel lower-temperature 
metal production pathways.

Future capability for rare earth 
metals and magnets.

Cathode materials

Developed lithium-ion and sodium-ion 
battery material production methods.

Downstream battery value-chain 
opportunities.

Carbon capture, 
utilisation and usage

Established prototype capture and 
CO2 conversion units.

Closed carbon loop pathways 
for steelmaking.







Shaping the future workforce

The India–Australia Minerals Scholar 
Network created a pipeline of 
talent in critical minerals, batteries, 
iron ore beneficiation, green steel, 
and carbon capture capabilities. 
Students and early-career 
researchers gained international 
experience through PhD projects, 
internships, exchanges, workshops 
and study tours.

Achievements

• Supported collaborative research 
across Australian and Indian institutions 
(28 student projects).
• Strengthened links with Indian Centres 
of Excellence and Australian universities.
• Created opportunities for technical exchange, 
mentoring and shared research infrastructure.
• Built professional networks spanning research, 
industry and government.


A delegation of India-Australia Critical Mineral Scholars attending the 2025 AusIMM Critical Minerals Conference (Perth, Western 
Australia). Pictured here are (from left) Arundhati Jena (Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India), Meg Fletcher (CSIRO), 
Sanjay Singh (Indian Institute of Technology, Patna, India), Dr Anindita Pati (RESCONS Solutions Private Limited, Indian Institute of 
Science, Bangalore, India), Dr Shalini Verma (Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, India), Dr Joanne Loh (CSIRO), 
Dr Nawshad Haque (CSIRO), Jaishree Yadav (RMIT), Dr Pradnya M Bodhankar (Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India) and 
Govardhan Reddy Sontam (UNSW). Dr Bodhankar won the best conference poster presentation award.

A delegation of 
India‑Australia Green 
Steel Scholars and their 
Supervisors were funded 
to visit CSIRO’s Clayton 
site in February 2025 to 
present their work and 
attend the 7th Annual 
Association for Iron 
and Steel Technology 
Australia and New 
Zealand Steel Symposium.

Mr Keith Vining (second 
from right) and Professor 
Geoff Brooks (first from 
right) at the National 
Institute of Technology 
Durgapur in February 
2025 presenting the 
‘Decarbonisation Route 
for Steel’ course as part 
of the India-Australia 
Green Steel Scholar 
Network.



Legacy and future opportunities

The Partnerships have demonstrated successful international 
collaboration with India in critical minerals exploration, downstream 
processing, rare earths, battery materials, green steel, biomass use, 
hydrogen technologies and carbon capture research areas. 

The Partnerships have also established a trusted and enduring 
India‑Australia network spanning research organisations, universities, 
industry and government. This network provides a strong foundation 
for future collaboration ensuring that the benefits of the Partnerships 
will continue into the future.

Ms Dianne Bedell (left) and Mr Sean Paton (right) (CSIRO) operating the 
Titanium-Vanadium pilot plant at CSIRO Waterford (Western Australia).



CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency, 
delivering solutions for a productive, 
sustainable and secure future.


Contact us

1300 363 400

csiro.au/contact

csiro.au