In a strategic move to advance the mining sector through innovation, the CSIR recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), a Canada-based organisation dedicated to mining innovation and commercialisation.

The CEMI specialises in leading and coordinating the advancement of innovations that can be integrated into mining operations. "Our vision at the CEMI is to solve the global mining industry’s challenges by accelerating the adoption of innovative solutions," said Chamirai Nyabeze, CEMI’s Vice President of Business Development.

This newly established partnership seeks to expand the global mining innovation ecosystem, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange across borders. As part of this initiative, the CEMI team visited the CSIR’s Scientia campus to gain deeper insight into its  capabilities and explore potential areas of synergy.

Dr Motodi Maserumule, Divisional Group Executive for the Advanced Production and Security division, welcomed the guests with an overview of the CSIR. He expressed the organisation’s vision to be an accelerator of socioeconomic prosperity in South Africa through leading innovation. “We achieve this by collaboratively innovating and localising technologies to provide solutions for the inclusive and sustainable advancement of industry and society," he explained.

Nyabeze provided an overview of the CEMI and expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership. "We want to work with the CSIR as a partner to drive innovation in the mining sector. We recognise that mining is not a single-country endeavour – it requires a collective effort to address the sector’s challenges,” he said.

Sibongile Ntsoelengoe, Executive Cluster Manager for Future Production: Mining, presented on the CSIR’s unique capabilities relevant to the mining industry, highlighting its distinctive value proposition. She emphasised that the CSIR’s strength lies in its multidisciplinary teams, which create a competitive advantage through bespoke innovations. With nine industry-focused clusters, including CSIR Future Production: Mining, CSIR Defence and Security and CSIR Future Production: Manufacturing, the organisation provides deep engineering expertise across various sectors.

She also underscored the strong alignment between the objectives of both organisations, emphasising its importance to the success of the collaboration. “Nowhere else  will you find multidisciplinary teams of highly skilled and experienced professionals, supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure and systems, with a proven track record of translating industry challenges into bespoke solutions. This is something we take great pride in at the CSIR, and it is an asset that our partnership with the CEMI and other collaborators can leverage,” she stated.

Additional presentations were delivered by:

• Safiya Turundu, software developer for CSIR Future Production: Mining, who provided insights into the CSIR’s TMM Digital Twin capability.
• Willie Nel, chief technologist from the CSIR Defence and Security cluster, who showcased the CSIR’s Radar Lab.

Following the presentations, guests were taken on a guided tour of the CSIR’s state-of-the-art facilities, including the Learning Factory and the Advanced Manufacturing Laser Lab. The tour provided a first-hand look at the organisation’s cutting-edge technologies and research capabilities.

About the CSIR

The CSIR, an entity of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, is one of Africa’s leading organisations in scientific and technology research, development and implementation. Constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1945 as a science council, the CSIR undertakes directed and multidisciplinary research and technological innovation, as well as industrial and scientific development, to improve the quality of life of all South Africans.

This year, the CSIR celebrates 80 years of touching lives through innovation. For more information, visit www.csir.co.za

About the CEMI

At the CEMI, we are dedicated to advancing commercially viable innovations that enhance safety, productivity and environmental performance in the mining sector. Our mission is to help mining companies close the innovation and commercialisation gap, enabling them to achieve better operational performance and faster returns on their investments.  For more information, visit https://www.cemi.ca/.