New funding programs aim to accelerate domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign sources.
The United States is continuing to expand its raw materials strategy: the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week two new programs, the Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator and an additional funding initiative totaling up to $69 million, aimed at accelerating innovative technologies across the critical minerals value chain toward commercial deployment.
The focus is particularly on the extraction, processing, and refinement of strategically important materials, including rare earth elements, gallium, germanium, and lithium, as well as recovery from unconventional sources such as geothermal systems. Industry-led projects will receive targeted support to bridge the gap between laboratory-scale innovation and industrial-scale application.
The objective of these measures is to close existing gaps in the U.S. critical minerals supply chain, reduce reliance on foreign imports, and strengthen long-term supply security and economic competitiveness. In the refining and downstream processing sector, China currently holds a partially dominant position in global markets.
Cover image: D-Keine via Canva