In 2025, global investment in the critical minerals sector fell by 9%, while exploration spending declined by more than 10%. According to the IEA, investors are becoming more cautious amid geopolitical tensions and price volatility. At the same time, demand for critical minerals remains robust.
Against this backdrop, scientific and technological capabilities are becoming increasingly important for the in-depth study of mineral resources, determining their composition and properties, testing processing technologies, and scaling them up for industrial application.
UZBEKISTAN BUILDS NEW SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
The TMK R&D Park is being developed as an integrated ecosystem for scientific research, technological testing, and the commercialization of critical-minerals technologies for industrial application.
The R&D Park model brings together sample reception and sorting, nanoanalysis and research, technology development, pilot testing and validation, commercialization and investment, and the development of innovative products.
A core component of this ecosystem is the Central Nanoanalysis Laboratory.
CAPACITY TO ANALYZE UP TO 300,000 SAMPLES PER YEAR
The new laboratory is designed to process up to 300,000 samples per year. Its analytical capabilities will cover advanced testing for more than 40 elements.
The sample workflow will include intake and preparation, chemical digestion, instrumental analysis, quality control, reporting, and sample archiving. Testing will use advanced analytical methods such as ICP-OES/MS, XRF/XRD, and AAS. Quality control is planned in accordance with SGS QC protocols, while data management and reporting will be handled through a LIMS system.
The project goes far beyond simply expanding laboratory capacity. Key priorities include gradually localizing testing services currently outsourced abroad, reducing turnaround times, cutting transportation and logistics costs, and creating the foundation for the future export of analytical laboratory services.
Subsequent phases of the project envisage expanding capabilities in automated mineralogy, high-precision elemental analysis, and the characterization of high-purity metals.
FROM LABORATORY ANALYSIS TO INDUSTRIAL SCALE
A key advantage of the R&D Park is the direct integration of laboratory analytical results into subsequent metallurgical and technological processing stages.
The Technology Testing Center within the R&D Park will focus on developing technologies for extracting valuable components from ores and industrial tailings and waste, conducting bench-scale testing, and developing turnkey solutions for industrial deployment.
Its planned scope of work includes mineral beneficiation, flowsheet and process development, parameter optimization, processability assessments for various types of raw materials, and the development of techno-economic benchmarks.
The R&D Park therefore creates a seamless chain connecting sample analysis, technology R&D, bench-scale testing, pilot validation, commercialization, and full-scale industrial deployment.
А CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS HUB FOR CENTRAL ASIA
The R&D Park is being positioned as a regional hub for critical raw materials (CRMs) in Central Asia. Project documentation identifies it as the region’s only dedicated CRM R&D center.
Alongside the Central Nanoanalysis Laboratory, the park will bring together several key facilities: the Technology Testing Center, the Uzbek-Korean Rare Metals R&D Center, a high-purity metals division, an Additive Manufacturing Center, an arbitration sample storage facility, and an Innovation Commercialization Center.
This infrastructure will create the scientific and technological environment needed in Uzbekistan to analyze critical raw materials, test new processing technologies, commercialize R&D results, and introduce advanced technologies into production. The Commercialization Center will also support IP patenting, technology transfer, and commercialization.
This will open up new opportunities for collaborative research, pilot testing, and commercial deployment projects with international technology companies, mining industry players, scientific institutions, and investors.
If you offer solutions in critical mineral analysis, beneficiation, refining, advanced materials, or technological testing, partner with the TMK R&D Park to test, validate, and scale your innovations for industrial deployment in Uzbekistan.
