The United States remains heavily reliant on imports for the critical minerals and refined materials that power advanced energy and computing. China controls the global processing and production of many of the critical materials used in batteries, high efficiency motors, and advanced chips. With domestic refining and processing capacity still extremely limited, the nation faces significant economic and national security vulnerability.
The NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine in the Kansas City Region, led by the University of Missouri – Kansas City, is addressing this challenge by building a regional ecosystem with the capacity to onshore and sustain the production of critical materials for the transportation, energy, communication, and national security sectors. Leveraging the Greater Kansas City region’s manufacturing heritage and industrial transportation infrastructure, the NSF Critical Materials Engine is strengthening a vertically integrated ecosystem with pilot, demonstration, and full-scale production facilities in close geographic proximity, providing companies with the resources needed to design and/or produce at each scale.
As this advanced manufacturing ecosystem grows, it will create new high‑quality jobs, expand career pathways for workers at every skill level, and bolster supply chain resilience across the nation’s most critical energy and manufacturing industries.
