S&T PRISM: A Complete Guide to India's Mining and Mineral Innovation Grant

India's mining, mineral processing, metallurgy, and recycling sectors have long relied on well established, often decades old technologies, even as global research has moved rapidly toward sustainable extraction, circular economy recycling, and AI or IoT driven mine operations. Startups and innovators working on genuinely new approaches in this space have historically struggled to find funding designed specifically for their sector, since most deep tech schemes were not built with mining and metallurgy in mind.

S&T PRISM, Science and Technology, Promotion of Research and Innovation in Startups and MSMEs in Mining, Mineral Processing, Metallurgy and Recycling Sector, is the Ministry of Mines' answer to that gap. Launched under the Ministry's Science and Technology Programme and administered by the Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre, JNARDDC, Nagpur, S&T PRISM aims to bridge the gap between developing innovative ideas and bringing them to market in India's mineral and metals sector.

The Opportunity: What S&T PRISM Actually Offers

• Tiered grant funding based on project scale: startups can receive up to Rs. 50 lakh, MSMEs up to Rs. 1 crore, and technology products requiring higher funding can be considered for up to Rs. 2 crore, on the recommendation of the Technical Evaluation Committee and approval by the Apex Committee.
• Milestone based disbursement across four instalments: funding flows against project milestones rather than as a lump sum, in line with the structured, accountability driven approach typical of India's better designed innovation grants.
• A clear commercialisation bridge: the programme is explicitly designed to help startups graduate to a level where they can raise investment from angel investors or venture capitalists, or become eligible for loans from commercial banks and financial institutions, positioning the grant as a stepping stone, not an endpoint.
• Broad and current focus areas: special emphasis areas include exploration of critical minerals, mining and extraction, mineral processing, metal, alloy, and product development, AI, ML, IoT, and software applications in the sector, and recycling and waste utilisation, reflecting where India's mineral sector genuinely needs innovation today.
• Genuine mentorship, not just funding: a dedicated team provides mentorship, incubation support, and technical advisory assistance throughout the entire project development period, with additional support extended for two years from the date of technical completion.
• A visibility platform for successful projects: successful projects are presented on a Demo Day to corporate representatives from relevant sectors, giving funded startups direct exposure to potential industry partners and customers.
• PSU collaboration for market access: the Ministry works with Public Sector Undertakings to secure trial orders and facilitate technology trials for S&T PRISM startups, aligned with the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises, giving funded ventures a genuine pathway to their first real customers.
• Parallel incubation centre support: the broader S&T PRISM component also includes grants of up to Rs. 10 crore for setting up and strengthening dedicated Incubation Centres, disbursed on a milestone basis, strengthening the institutional infrastructure around the sector, not just individual startups.

Who is eligible

• Startups, MSMEs, and individual innovators with projects directly bearing on the mineral and metal sector, with an applied and sustainable approach to mining, metallurgy, or industrial applications.
• Applicants proposing projects of up to two years' duration.
• Ventures demonstrating capability, intent, and a credible promise of producing functional prototypes or productising existing technologies.
• Projects aligned with the scheme's priority areas: critical mineral exploration, mining and extraction, mineral processing, metal, alloy, and product development, AI, ML, IoT, and software solutions for the sector, and recycling or waste utilisation.

How the process works

1. Review the detailed advertisement, problem statements, and guidelines published on the SATYABHAMA Portal or JNARDDC's website. S&T PRISM invites proposals periodically rather than accepting applications on a continuously open basis.
2. Prepare and submit your proposal online through the SATYABHAMA Portal, along with all necessary enclosures, clearly demonstrating the project's applied, sustainable relevance to mining, mineral processing, metallurgy, or recycling.
3. Your proposal is reviewed by the Apex Committee, with the Technical Evaluation Committee recommending funding levels, including whether your technology qualifies for the higher Rs. 2 crore tier reserved for products requiring greater investment.
4. If approved, funding is released across four instalments tied to project milestones, alongside ongoing mentorship, incubation, and technical advisory support from a dedicated team.
5. Upon successful development, present your project at a Demo Day to corporate representatives, and, where applicable, pursue trial orders and technology trials with PSUs in the sector.

The Institution Powering S&T PRISM

S&T PRISM is implemented by the Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre, JNARDDC, Nagpur, an institution with deep domain expertise in the metals and minerals sector, under the aegis of an Inter Ministerial Apex Committee that oversees the scheme's implementation. This institutional pairing means applicants get access to sector specific technical evaluation and mentorship, rather than being assessed by generalist innovation evaluators unfamiliar with the particular challenges of mining and metallurgy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much funding can a project actually receive under S&T PRISM?

It is tiered: up to Rs. 50 lakh for startups, up to Rs. 1 crore for MSMEs, and up to Rs. 2 crore for technology products requiring higher funding, subject to Technical Evaluation Committee recommendation and Apex Committee approval.

How long can an S&T PRISM project run?

Proposals are invited for a duration of up to two years, with additional mentorship and support extended for a further two years from the date of technical completion.

What happens after the grant funding ends, is there ongoing support?

Yes. Beyond the funding period, the programme extends mentorship and technical advisory support for two years after technical completion, and successful projects get visibility through Demo Day presentations and potential PSU trial orders, designed to help startups actually reach commercialisation, not just complete a funded project.

What technology areas does S&T PRISM prioritise?

Critical mineral exploration, mining and extraction, mineral processing, metal, alloy, and product development, AI, ML, IoT, and software applications for the sector, and recycling or waste utilisation are all explicitly named priority areas.

Is S&T PRISM only for pure mining companies, or does it cover tech enabled solutions too?

It explicitly covers AI, ML, IoT, and software applications relevant to the mining and mineral sector, alongside more traditional mining, extraction, and processing innovations, so tech enabled solutions built for this sector are squarely within scope.

The Bottom Line

S&T PRISM fills a genuinely specific gap in India's innovation funding landscape: dedicated capital and sector specific mentorship for startups and MSMEs working on mining, mineral processing, metallurgy, and recycling, an industry that rarely gets attention from India's broader deep tech funding schemes. With tiered grants running up to Rs. 2 crore, genuine PSU market access support, and a structured pathway toward attracting private investment, the scheme is well suited for founders who see real innovation potential in an industry often assumed to be technologically static. The practical next step is monitoring the SATYABHAMA Portal for the current call for proposals and preparing a submission that clearly demonstrates applied, sustainable relevance to one of the scheme's priority technology areas.