Where innovators redefine how we discover, recover and reuse the world’s essential elements.

The Global Open Innovation Colab is a new international partnership program designed to accelerate practical innovation in critical minerals.

Led by Austmine in collaboration with Expande, the Peru Mining Innovation Hub, and the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation, the Colab connects innovators and researchers with industry and innovation hub networks to help move high-potential solutions closer to real-world application.

The first Colab challenge will be hosted at GRX26 in Perth.

The GRX26 Colab focuses on Discovery & Exploitation from New Deposits.

As demand for critical minerals accelerates, the industry needs new approaches to locate, map, and economically extract minerals from increasingly complex deposits — faster, with greater precision, and with reduced environmental impact.

This challenge invites innovators, researchers, and technology developers to submit solutions that can help shorten the pathway from discovery to development.

Technology areas of interest:

• Solutions may include (but are not limited to):
• AI-driven geological mapping, predictive modelling, and target detection
• Geophysics, remote sensing, and hyperspectral imaging
• Orebody imaging and characterisation
• Autonomous and advanced drilling systems
• Low-impact exploration and sustainable extraction technologies
• Geochemical techniques and data fusion platforms

• Submissions open: 5 March 2026
• Submissions close: 26 March 2026
• Finalists notified: 8 April 2026
• Colab Connect Workshop: 5 May 2026
• Live Pitch: 7 May 2026

For more information about the GRX26 Colab contact international@austmine.com.au.