Abstract
The global mining industry is in a situation that is unique in its history. On the one hand, the forecast demand for energy transition materials will be astronomical, but on the other hand, expanding production will meet productivity and permit challenges. In the long run, these challenges must be addressed through different forms of innovation. However, the question remains whether the industry can bring forward the right innovations at the needed rate.
The industry demonstrates that it can be highly innovative, unlike its prior reputation for being reluctant to innovate (Steen et al. 2018). Nonetheless, patent statistics show that innovation mostly happens in supplier companies rather than mining companies (Steen et al. 2018), and the role of mining companies in driving innovation and how this is best achieved remains unclear. While some mining companies are adopting open innovation in the form of open challenges for innovators outside the company, the success rates of these programs are uncertain.
One way we can think about the future role of mining companies in accelerating radical innovation is to look at other industries. There has been increasing attention to the role of 'deep tech' in transforming sectors outside mining (BCG 2020), with a growing appreciation of the 'ecosystem' needed to support deep tech development.
Deep tech, by definition, are novel technologies with significant performance improvements over current technologies. It is disruptive in the sense that it can make existing technologies redundant. Deep tech also significantly impacts industries, economies, and society, but it can take time to develop and implement. Examples of deep tech include biotechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Mining uses deep tech, but the timeline of deep tech development means that developing these technologies requires consistent investment through the mining cycle, which is a challenge for smaller mining and supplier companies. Consequently, large global mining companies tend to lead deep tech initiatives like the commercialization of biomining and automated trucks.
Best practice in managing deep tech development involves an ecosystem approach beyond mining companies and their existing suppliers. A 2020 BCG report found that successfully commercializing deep tech requires a network of startups, large corporations, government, technology users, facilitators and investors. Each of these entities contributes differently to the ecosystem.
As a case study example of how deep tech ecosystems can be created in the mining sector, we examine the Canadian Federal Government's BC Digital Supercluster program and the launch of biomining startup MMAP. Initiated in early 2021, this project involved Teck, Rio Tinto, BGC Engineering, University of British Columbia (BRIMM), Allonnia (biotech), Koonkie (biotech venture), Genome British Columbia, and the Center for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI). The project aimed to develop a genomics platform to characterize and select microbes for various biomining applications, ranging from mineral processing to waste management and tailings stabilization. The evolution of the MMAP ecosystem shows the different roles that organizations played and how they contributed to the commercial launch of MMAP in October 2024.