Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub
The Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy (CM2AE) consortium led by Missouri S&T was selected as one of the nation’s 31 Tech Hubs on Oct. 23, 2023. The Tech Hub Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), focuses on supporting innovation and job creation in key technology areas.
The CM2AE Consortium has submitted its Phase 2 implementation plan for consideration for funding. The consortium’s funding request was for $63 million in federal funding to match $7 million in Missouri funding to implement the Tech Hub’s plans. EDA will award 5 to 10 grants, with each recipient receiving $40 million to $70 million by summer 2024.
How this funding will help the region
The Tech Hub is poised to assist in bridging the gap between critical minerals producers and advanced energy technology manufacturers. The hub will build on the region’s mineral-rich geography, expertise in hydrometallurgical processing, and existing assets. It will increase processing capacity to convert minerals into materials necessary for advanced energy and critical goods and potentially create thousands of good-paying jobs.
The hub could lead to over $34 billion in economic development in advanced energy technology manufacturing over the next decade. Through the commitments made by the consortium members, we expect to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in commercial and demonstration-scale plants that will lead to $34.2 billion in economic output and over 23,000 jobs in Missouri (see economic impact study results). This level of production will lead to a broad economic impact for the entire state and benefit the entire country.
This Tech Hub will be successful because it has…
1. The hydrometallurgy and mining expertise and the natural resources necessary to be globally competitive in this field.
2. Strong levels of participation and engagement with the private sector.
3. Effective partnerships and coordination throughout the region.
4. Rural populations that could potentially fill new jobs and diversify the workforce that typically benefits from material supply chains.
5. Innovative lab-to-market approaches that will include a scaling facility and simulation techniques to reduce the cost and time to build full-scale processing facilities.