Indonesia is currently engaging in intensive communication with India to explore potential strategic partnerships in the rare earth elements downstream industry sector. This step is projected to accelerate the mastery of separation and purification technologies for these critical minerals, which serve as an important foundation for the development of the domestic magnet industry.
Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Mendiktisaintek), Brian Yuliarto, revealed that this collaboration focuses on a technology transfer scheme. India is considered to have superior technical capabilities in the rare earth purification process, which Indonesia could adopt to increase the added value of national mineral commodities.
This exploratory process involves cross-agency synergy, with teams from PT Perusahaan Mineral Nasional (Perminas) and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) having conducted a series of technical meetings. These efforts include direct visits to India to assess infrastructure readiness and research relevant to Indonesia's industrial needs.
To date, these discussions remain in the early stages but continue to show positive progress. The main focus remains on building an independent downstream ecosystem, relying on knowledge transfer from international partners to strengthen the competitiveness of high-technology-based industries in the future.
