“In this context of the geopolitical and geoeconomic world, Materials are increasingly becoming critical pillars for determining sovereignty, national power, and the security of nations”
stated Mr Lekhan Thakkar, Joint Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India at the CII Global Summit on Advanced Materials, Critical Minerals, & Metals.
In his Special Address at the Inaugural Session, Mr Lekhan Thakkar, Joint Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India, stated that we are in a period of great flux in terms of geopolitics where we are witnessing the emergence of multipolar world coupled with economic rise of certain countries that has become a big area of concern for the national security.
Advanced materials, critical minerals, & metals are important areas that have the potential to transform the economy of the country across sectors and therefore, it is important to build our own supply chain especially in materials.
He further mentioned about the inclusion of Materials as a key focus area under i-CET to expand the collaborations across stakeholders to facilitate transfer of technology, co-development and co-production of high technology products and services across priority sectors including Quantum, AI, Defense, Space, Semiconductors, Telecommunications, Biotechnology, Critical minerals and Advanced materials.
In his address, Dr Debashish Bhattacharjee, Chairman, CII Advanced Materials Mission & Vice President, Technology and R&D, Tata Steel mentioned that advanced materials can define the state of humanity and therefore it is important for the nation to work on the advanced & critical materials such as graphene, titanium, aluminum, rare earth etc. He further mentioned that it is crucial to explore these materials to ensure the technology advancement of any nation.
He further talked about the Indo-US initiative on i-CET and the report which has been developed under CII Advanced Materials movement that covers the real-life examples with success stories in the areas of critical minerals, rare earth, recycling, graphene, titanium, biomaterials, composite materials and age-old materials.
Prof Kamal Kishore Pant, Director, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee highlighted upon the strong need to understand on how technology can be developed through the amalgamation of science & technology. He further stated that the collaboration between the industry and academia can lead to development of technologies such as AI, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing to make them market ready and further sustainable. New education policy has given the huge opportunity to define sustainability.
Mr Rajat Verma, Founder & CEO, Lohum highlighted the importance of critical minerals and their advancements for India to be the technology leader. He further shared the journey of aluminum and titanium and their ever-increasing applications in various sectors.
In his opening remarks, Mr S Raghupathy, Principal Adviser, Confederation of Indian Industry mentioned the criticality for India to be a global leader in Advanced Materials.
Mr Sunil Chordia, Co-Chairman, CII National Committee on Technology, Innovation and R&D & Chairman and Managing Director, Rajratan Group stated that CII Task Force on Materials is dedicated towards building material as a movement across the nation. CII has always been proud to partner with its stakeholders to work on these important areas for strengthening of India’s technological prowess. Building seamless supply chain, ensuring foreign collaborations, enhance skilled manpower, investment in R&D, working on TRLs are some of the important areas that can build a strong ecosystem for the country.
The Conference also witnessed the release of the CII Report on Advanced Materials, Critical Minerals, and Metals that provides an overview of the current landscape, trends, and challenges in these industries. The report also emphasizes the need for sustainable sourcing, recycling, and innovation to ensure long-term availability and minimize environmental impact. Each chapter also illustrates 2-3 successful case studies on the application of the respective material.
The day long summit witnessed sessions on Graphene, Aluminum, Steel, Ceramics, Composites, Critical Minerals, Rare Earths, Electronic Materials including Semiconductors and Steel and was attended by leaders from Industry, Academia, Research labs, Start-ups and Government.
11 July 2024
New Delhi