The Purpose of SMI is to be a world leader in providing knowledge-based solutions to the Sustainability challenges of the global minerals industry.

The Business of SMI is research and education. The latter includes postgraduate research at Masters and Doctorate level, Certificate, Diploma and Masters qualifications by course work, short course and workshop programmes and contributions to undergraduate education.

Within research, SMI aims to have activities across a breadth of issues relevant to the Australian and international minerals industry. SMI also seeks to engage with the industry at different levels.                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Our base is built on the ability to engage at the operating level. The outcome is research which is directly relevant to operational efficiency and process improvement.

The SMI centres have developed a second level of engagement, typically focussed on more strategic issues. The emphasis here is on longer term, step change type projects which have the potential of having significant impact on cost structures and improved resource utilisation.

The third level of SMI engagement, principally undertaken by SMI central, is to seek the views of senior industry executives on the major challenges looming for the industry. It is this approach which has led to the establishment of SMI research in the areas of risk and safety, water, social responsibility and Sustainable Development.