Innovators with the next big idea to boost mining efficiency have until Jan. 13 to submit proposals that could earn them capital toward product development.
The Sudbury-based Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network is currently accepting submissions from startups that help make mining more efficient, reduce energy use, use autonomous systems, and mitigate environmental risk.
Launched in 2021, MICA is a collective of small and medium enterprises, mining companies, academic and research institutions, and innovation centres from across the country.
It’s funded with $30 million in federal money from the Strategic Investment Fund and based at the Centre for Excellence for Mining Innovation (CEMI) in Sudbury.
Following the first request for proposals, MICA announced it was granting $11.5 million in funding for 16 projects.
The organization said during that round of funding, the organization received proposals for 106 projects from 81 MICA members, who requested more than $100 million.
More information on the second RFP is available here.
