Students, researchers, R&D institutions, start-ups and innovators invited to develop innovative solutions for critical mineral exploration and technology intelligence
Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy today launched the Critical Minerals Innovation Hackathon 2026 (CMiH 2026), aimed at strengthening the objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission by encouraging students, researchers, academic and R&D institutions, start-ups, and innovators to develop innovative technical solutions to identified challenges in the critical minerals.
The hackathon provides a platform for participants to showcase their ideas, receive expert mentorship, and contribute to building a secure and self-reliant critical minerals ecosystem in India. It focuses on two problem statements: Mineral Prospectivity Mapping from Open Data, which involves developing a prospectivity heatmap for lithium or REE pegmatites and validated against known mineral occurrences; and and Smart Technology and Patent Tracker for Critical Minerals to create an intuitive, web-based Smart R&D and Patent Tracking System for critical minerals.
The hackathon will be organized and host by JNARDDC, Nagpur, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Mines, which will serve as the Organising body and Host Institute for CMiH 2026. The last date for idea submission is 20 September 2026, and the winners will be announced during India Mining Week 2026, scheduled from 15–17 November 2026. Two winning teams will be awarded prizes for each problem statement, with the first prize of ₹1.50 lakh and the second prize of ₹1.00 lakh.
Detailed information regarding the Hackathon, problem statements, guidelines and registration is available on the JNARDDC website: https://jnarddc.gov.in/
The Critical Minerals Innovation Hackathon 2026 marks an important step towards creating an innovation-driven ecosystem for critical minerals and encouraging young minds, researchers and technology innovators to contribute to India’s mineral security and technological self-reliance.
