Minerals have played an important role in advancing civilization and advancing civilization as well as spurring the development of science and technology in mineral exploration, exploitation and utilization. It is undeniable that economic growth in many countries comes from the legacy of mineral resources, which are the source of state revenue. Minerals are industrial raw materials, which have made various countries, especially western countries and Japan, become superior industrial countries and developed economies. The role of minerals is strongly felt in supporting various development sectors; Infrastructure, energy, transportation and defense, as well as supporting the chemical, food-beverage and health sectors.

Over time, in particular after the industrial revolution, industrial advancement cannot be separated from the synergy with research in universities, especially in advancing research and innovation in the fields of geological, mining, chemical, metallurgical and mechanical engineering. The need for mineral raw materials has increased sharply, thus developed countries have been hunting in the Americas, Africa and Asia, including Indonesia until today. The mineral policies of developed countries are closely related to the sustainability of supply for the benefit of their strategic industries. The term critical raw material appears, where failure to maintain mineral supplies is considered be able to pull down certain industries in the country.

Along with advances in science and technology, the use of minerals and metals is increasingly varied. For example, in the motor vehicle industry, initially using 20 types of metal, and currently it has used 39 types of metals. In addition, with the introduction of the circular economy concept, the mindset of mining and manufacturing industry stakeholders as well as environmental policies need to adjust accordingly. The waste material resulting from mineral processing should be considered as a by-product that can be further processed with the right technology into new sources of minerals and metals.

Developing countries recognize that reliance only exports of raw minerals is not of great benefit. Value adding through manufacture industry becomes challenge and opportunity. Emerging economies appears such as China, India and other countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Latin America, particularly China and India are both producers and users of minerals and metals, thus becoming world demand centers. Indonesia should be grateful for its uniqueness and geological complexity, making this country a nest of various types of mineral resources, including nickel ore, tin, copper, bauxite, iron, gold and manganese. Nickel and tin even have comparative advantages in the world. Apart from essential minerals, Indonesia has another comparative advantage, which is their market size, and is in the second position in East Asia after China.

The value-added economy has become the focus of the country, marked by the commitment to increase the added value of minerals as stated in the mining law and the industrial law. The next challenge for Indonesia is to increase their bargaining position in the global value chain of mineral and metals. There are five aspects that need attention in the development of mineral and metal-based industries; supply, demand, technology & innovation, policy and funding. Lack of technology & innovation as well as funding leads to high imports of industrial capital goods and raw materials. This condition leads to a challenge for import substitution industrialization. By far the economic development based on mineral resources has been driven more by supply driven, so it is time for industrial development to pay attention to demand driven. Center for Mineral and Metal Industry Studies was established to contribute ideas to the government and stakeholders, so as to enhance investment growth and industrial development, through studies on industrial strategic issues.