ANS: TEXMiN, Mining Technology Innovation hub of IIT-ISM, Dhanbad inks ties with iCreate to provide Smart, Safe and Sustainable Tech Solutions to the Indian Mining Industry.
Technology Innovation in Exploration & Mining Foundation (TEXMiN), the Mining Technology Innovation Hub of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad entered into a partnership agreement with iCreate (International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology), India’s leading innovation-based start-up incubator by signing a Letter of Collaboration (LoC) in Ahmedabad today to revolutionise the operations in the mining industry through innovation.
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, informed Rajni Singh, Dean, Media & Branding of ISM.
The partnership will also make efforts to improve the work environment, health and safety conditions in the mining industry, and help in energy conservation and greenification at mining sites by recovering and regenerating energy.
As part of the agreement, the start-ups incubated by iCreate and innovators will work together with TEXMiN to Co-create solutions to integrate Electromobility (E-Mobility) in mining.
Professor Dheeraj Kumar Dy. Director, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad & Project Director & Director, TEXMiN Foundation, shared, “The objective of TEXMiN is to promote the use of the latest technologies in mining and exploration. The electric vehicle and plant 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 related to the advancement in EV technology – Charging towards the future.
As a result of this collaboration, TEXMiN and iCreate will work together to enhance the efficiency of mining equipment through electrification, 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 for alternate applications through a sustainable energy cycle.
Commenting on the partnership, Avinash Punekar, CEO of iCreate, 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. We are excited to partner with such a reputed and visionary organisation and look forward to the positive impact of our collaboration with our combined expertise and resources.”
“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.
Apart from providing access to rapid prototyping lab facilities, iCreate will co-create innovation acceleration programs for PSUs and private companies in the mining sector, in partnership with TEXMiN” further said Punekar.