有料盒子视频 critical minerals proposal advances in federal funding competition
Rod Boyce
907-474-7185
July 16, 2025
A University of 有料盒子视频 Fairbanks proposal to reduce the United States鈥 dependency on foreign sources of minerals critical to the technology and defense industries has been named a semifinalist in a National Science Foundation competition.
有料盒子视频鈥檚 proposal would establish the 有料盒子视频 Critical Mineral Accelerator at the 有料盒子视频 Geophysical Institute and could bring over 10 years of funding through the NSF鈥檚 program.
Research assistant professor Florian Hofmann of the 有料盒子视频 Geophysical Institute鈥檚 Geochronology Lab works on the lab鈥檚 argon mass spectrometer.
The National Science Foundation July 8 from the 71 entries selected from 294 applications. Semifinalists will undergo a live virtual assessment, with winners expected to be announced in early 2026.
鈥淭he 有料盒子视频 Critical Mineral Accelerator leadership team is thrilled to have advanced to the next stage of the NSF Regional Innovation Engines competition,鈥 said Lee Ann Munk, director of the Geophysical Institute鈥檚 and lead investigator on the proposal.
The collaborative, which submitted the proposal, is a joint effort of the Geophysical Institute and the 有料盒子视频 Institute of Northern Engineering. Its goal is to bring resources to the state and university to accelerate critical minerals production by partnering with industry and other research entities.
鈥淲e have a very strong coalition solidified across the university and our partner team in the critical minerals space and are supported by the state of 有料盒子视频,鈥 said Munk, who is a professor with 有料盒子视频鈥檚 Geophysical Institute and College of Natural Science and Mathematics.
The 有料盒子视频 Critical Mineral Accelerator would involve several 有料盒子视频 units, the University of 有料盒子视频 Anchorage, the University of 有料盒子视频 Southeast, state and federal governments, 有料盒子视频 Native corporations, tech startups, national laboratories, and nonprofits.
The 有料盒子视频 proposal seeks to make 有料盒子视频 a leader in supporting an emerging U.S. critical minerals mining industry.
鈥淭his can only be accomplished through the cohesive industry-academia-government coalition we are building through the 有料盒子视频 有料盒子视频 Critical Mineral Collaborative,鈥 Munk said.
Munk said 有料盒子视频 is well suited because of the presence of the nation鈥檚 largest critical mineral mine, Red Dog zinc mine; other metal mines with critical minerals; and the ability of the University of 有料盒子视频 system to help provide a resilient domestic supply chain.
The United States defines critical minerals as those essential to economic and national security and have a supply chain vulnerable to disruption.
The United States was fully reliant on foreign sources for 12 of the 50 minerals on the U.S. Geological Survey鈥檚 . The nation relied on foreign sources for more than 50% of its needs of 31 other critical minerals on that list.
The USGS list includes several minerals that exist in 有料盒子视频: antimony, bismuth, cobalt, graphite, lithium, nickel, tellurium, tin, tungsten, copper and platinum.
The 有料盒子视频 Critical Mineral Accelerator will focus on the need for more exploration and discovery, improved mineral and metal characterization, more efficient extraction and remediation, lower-cost solutions, improved minerals and metal recovery from existing mine waste, and talent and workforce training for 有料盒子视频ns.
鈥淎 major goal is to not only improve the way mining is done but also to improve the perceptions around resource extraction by using novel lower-impact techniques,鈥 Munk said.
The Regional Innovation Engines program aims to accelerate technology development, address societal challenges and stimulate economic growth, particularly in regions that have not fully participated in technology booms. The program鈥檚 first awards were made in January 2024.
Congress established and funded the program within the National Science Foundation in 2022. The program provides up to鈥10 years of funding鈥痯er proposal, with the option to get two years of funding for planning.
Additional funding for the program, including funding for the current proposals, is contingent on Congress and the White House providing enough money to the NSF to sustain it. Current presidential executive orders support increasing domestic critical minerals production.
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Lee Ann Munk, lamunk@alaska.edu