U.S. Department of Energy Announces $6 Million to Enhance U.S. Supply Chain Security Through Domestic Gallium Production

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management today announced up to $6 million in federal funding available for research and development projects to help establish a secure domestic supply chain for gallium—a critical material for the energy, defense, and semiconductor sectors. The Technology for Recovery and Advanced Critical-material Extraction–Gallium (TRACE-Ga) initiative will drive innovative and cost-effective technologies for gallium recovery from U.S. metal processing feedstocks—advancing President Trump’s commitment to strengthen America’s critical minerals supply chain. Developing domestic supply chains for gallium will help strengthen America’s national security by fostering the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies, expanding the nation’s critical materials portfolio, and reducing our reliance on foreign sources.

“The U.S. has not recovered primary gallium in nearly four decades,” said Tala Goudarzi, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. “With this funding, we aim to change that by tapping existing processing streams and supporting innovators who can recover gallium here at home—showcasing how American technology can outpace current methods and unlock a new supply.”

The TRACE-Ga initiative is managed by ENERGYWERX in partnership with DOE, a collaboration made possible through an innovative Partnership Intermediary Agreement set up by the DOE's Office of Technology Commercialization. This agreement enables ENERGYWERX to broaden DOE’s engagement with innovative organizations and non-traditional partners, facilitating the rapid development, scaling, and deployment of energy solutions.

“The Office of Technology Commercialization’s role is to enable the deployment of technologies that matter most for our nation,” said Anthony Pugliese, DOE Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization. “By supporting innovations that can restart domestic gallium recovery, we are strengthening supply chain security and ensuring U.S. industry has reliable access to critical materials.”

Under the TRACE-Ga initiative, projects will test and validate prototype technologies with a goal of producing at least 50 kg of pure gallium from at least one 14-day campaign of continuous operation with a real-world metal industry processing stream, such as aluminum or zinc.The objective is to validate a prototype that is capable of producing at least 1 metric ton per annum scale of gallium. Successful projects will restart domestic primary gallium recovery for the first time in almost 40 years. 

Applicants to the TRACE-Ga funding opportunity must qualify as a domestic entity. Eligible applicants will be asked to provide: 

• Evidence of success for recovering gallium from feedstock similar to the proposed metal industry process stream;
• A letter of support from any company, agency, or other party that has ownership/rights to any proposed feedstock materials, where applicable; and
• A description of the potential for scale-up at the initial metal industry processing stream and market adoption beyond the initial metal industry processing stream source.

Visit the ENERGYWERX website to sign up for an informational webinar to be held on September 30, 2025 at 3:00 pm ET. Subsequent updates and announcements for the TRACE-Ga initiative will be posted on the website. Questions about the initiative can be submitted to info@energywerx.org.