Critical Materials Collaborative

What Is the Critical Materials Collaborative?

The Critical Materials Collaborative (CMC) is a mode of connection created by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to improve and increase communication and coordination among DOE, government agencies, and stakeholders working on critical materials projects. 

The CMC was launched in summer 2023 and born out of the need for a critical materials convening arm. The CMC serves to align, grow, and coordinate funding for the innovation ecosystem for critical materials research in the United States, with the goal of accelerating commercialization, deployment, and the development of secure domestic critical material supply chains. 

Mission

To accelerate DOE’s critical materials applied research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) and achieve domestic energy manufacturing and national security goals by:

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Building a robust innovation ecosystem.

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Training the critical materials leaders and workforce across multiple sectors.

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Enabling industry adoption of novel, cutting-edge technology.

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Laying the scientific and techno-logical ground-work needed to address emerging challenges.

Team

Currently, the CMC is made up of several sponsoring program offices and technology offices across the DOE and RD&D awardees funded through CMC-coordinated opportunities but will expand soon to include offices across the federal government.

The CMC also partners with the Critical Materials Innovation Hub, which plays a central role in the CMC as an innovation engine—a convener for shared ideas, best practices, and early-stage science and technology solutions.

  • The CMC co-chairs are:

    • The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
    • The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
    • The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains.

    Sponsoring offices are (in alphabetical order) the:

    • Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
    • Loan Programs Office
    • National Nuclear Security Administration
    • Office of Electricity
    • Office of Indian Energy
    • Office of International Affairs
    • Office of Nuclear Energy
    • Office of Policy
    • Office of Science
      • Office of Basic Energy Sciences
      • Office of Isotope R&D and Production
    • Office of Technology Transitions
    • Within the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management:
      • Office of Carbon Management
      • Office of Resource Sustainability
    • Within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:
      • Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office
      • Geothermal Technologies Office
      • Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office
      • Solar Energy Technologies Office
      • Vehicle Technologies Office
      • Wind Energy Technologies Office
      • Water Power Technologies Office.

  • The DOE sponsoring offices connect with other federal agencies, RD&D awardees that join through CMC funding opportunities, and the Critical Materials Innovation Hub.

Get Involved

Others outside of the U.S. government can join the CMC by being funded through a CMC opportunity. This is how the CMC will grow. 

The CMC is coordinating RD&D programs and funding opportunities across DOE to form the basis of the membership, convening support across the entire innovation ecosystem. 

Funding Opportunities

  • Office/ProgramOpportunity
    ARPA-EMAGNITO
    ARPA-EARPA-E – ROCKS
    FECM (FE)Mine of the Future – Proving Ground
    FECM (FE)TRACE
  • Office/ProgramOpportunity
    Office of Science (SC)SC Financial Assistance Program
    WETO (EERE)Improve the Recycling of Wind Energy Technologies
  • Office/ProgramOpportunity
    AMMTO (EERE)Smart Manufacturing Technologies for Material & Process Innovation
    EERE (AMMTO)Critical Materials Accelerator
    EERE (VTO & others)Future of Advanced Batteries (research selections)
    EERE (VTO)BIL: Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Recycling and Second Life Applications (Selections)
    EERE (multiple)Electronics Scrap Recycling Advancement Prize (ESRAP)
    FECMProject Selections for FOA 3105: Critical Material Innovation, Efficiency, and Alternatives
    FECM / NETL (Lab Call)Lab Call: Critical Materials Supply Chain Research Facility (METALLIC)
    FECM/NETLCORE-CM Regional Scale Collaboration
    MESCAdvanced Energy Manufacturing & Recycling (AEMR) Grants – Round 2
    MESCBipartisan Infrastructure Law: Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing and Recycling Selections
    MESCFunding Selections: BIL Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection Funding Opportunity
    Office of Electricity (OE)$2.25 Million Silicon Carbide (SiC) Packaging Prize
    Office of Science (BES)Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs)
    Office of Science (BES/EPSCoR)Building EPSCoR-State/National Laboratory Partnerships
    Office of Science (SC)Early Career Research Program (ECRP)
    WETO (EERE)Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize

Resources

Webinars & Videos

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Critical Materials Collaborative convened stakeholders from across the critical minerals and materials industry and research ecosystem for a webinar on “National Lab Capabilities and Engagement Mechanisms for Critical Minerals and Materials”.
Video courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy

Learn More

Stay Updated

Contact us with any questions at cmc@hq.doe.gov.