U.S. Department of Commerce Awards Approximately $29 Million Tech Hubs Grant to Strengthen the Critical Minerals Processing Industry in Missouri
Contact: EDA Public Affairs Department, [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) has selected Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub, led by the University of Missouri System, for an approximately $29 million Tech Hubs grant to implement two projects that aim to position south-central Missouri as a global leader in critical minerals processing to provide the materials needed to support battery technology.
The Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub is among six Tech Hubs to receive awards from additional funding for the Tech Hubs Program through the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The grant will support implementation of two projects that include:
- building and outfitting a first-of-its-kind, world-class critical minerals processing test bed that will develop and evaluate novel, multi-critical materials recovery systems from primary and secondary sources including mines, slag heaps, and black mass from battery recycling; and
- establishing a convening authority to provide governance over the test bed as this Hub addresses the national security imperative to capture market share of critical minerals and materials for advanced energy manufacturing.
“To out-innovate and out-compete the rest of the world, we need to ensure we’re investing in the industries of the future that will drive American innovation, manufacturing, and workforce to succeed in a 21st century economy – that's how America maintains its competitive edge,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The Tech Hubs Program and this latest allocation of funds are the result of bipartisan cooperation in Congress – I hope that good-faith work will endure so we can continue to invest in these centers of excellence across the nation, which in return, are providing good-paying jobs in industries of the future and helping to strengthen U.S. economic and national security.”
“We are so pleased that bipartisan support in Congress for the Tech Hubs Program will allow us to make even more impactful investments in the future of America’s economy,” said Cristina Killingsworth, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This implementation funding will empower the Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub to spur job growth, attract private investment, and fortify its regional economy as a global leader in critical mineral extraction and processing.”
The Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub is among 31 Tech Hubs designated in October 2023 by President Biden to scale up the production of critical technologies, create jobs in innovative industries, strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness and national security, and accelerate the growth of industries of the future in regions across the United States.
Last year, the Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub received a $500,000 Consortium Accelerator Award to continue implementing their strategies, including the pursuit of additional capital.
Learn more about the Tech Hubs Program at TechHubs.gov.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.