Critical Minerals and Advanced Alloys

Mission

Drive innovation and commercialization across critical minerals supply chains, from extraction to manufactured products.

Global leadership in critical minerals value chains forged by competitive enterprise and unparalleled innovation, free of undue foreign influence.

Increase the capacity of the domestic mineral industrial base, from mining to refining.
Accelerate the development rate of mineral industry projects, from mining to refining.
Expand domestic mineral reserves.
Diversify feedstocks for mineral commodity production.

Increase domestic capacity and output of midstream mineral and industrial commodities to satisfy downstream need.
Modernize and digitize unit operations and flow sheets.
Accelerate translation of advanced processing research to enable breakthrough advances.

Fill the manufacturing skills gap by identifying and targeting critical mineral training needs.
Accelerate advanced-degree critical mineral specialists to drive domestic innovation.
Integrate modern critical mineral skills into existing training frameworks and standards.
Cultivate strong relationships between educational institutions and industry to strengthen the workforce pipeline.
Enable training programs for skilled trades, technicians, operators and engineers to expand the domestic workforce.

Build connections among interagency and private-sector stakeholders to strengthen critical mineral supply chain integration and counter national security threats to energy supply chains.
Increase market competition and price discovery through improved data standards and material qualification frameworks.

Scott Montross (acting)
Center Director
Scott.Montross@netl.doe.gov

Tammie Borders (acting)
Associate Laboratory Director
Tammie.Borders@netl.doe.gov