- The University of Utah and the National Laboratory of the Rockies signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening the U.S. energy system.
- The three-year agreement focuses on critical minerals research and other energy priorities.
- Utah aims to lead in domestic critical mineral production and reduce foreign reliance.
SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah last week signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Laboratory of the Rockies to enable greater research collaborations aimed at strengthening the U.S. energy system.
"This partnership comes at a pivotal moment, when strengthening the nation's energy resilience is more important than ever," U. President Taylor Randall said in a statement. "Together, we're more capable of tackling the toughest scientific challenges."
The three-year agreement aims to prioritize research on some of the most pressing national security and energy priorities, including water security, advanced manufacturing, AI-driven science and computing, and, unsurprisingly, as the flagship university of a state that has made it a priority, critical minerals.
Everyday technologies like batteries, cellphones, semiconductors and defense systems require components made from critical materials and rare earth elements, many of which are imported from abroad.
With the U.S. rapidly expanding domestic sources of critical minerals in hopes of reducing reliance on foreign sources, Utah is not just following suit but positioning itself to be a domestic leader in the critical minerals race.
In January, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced the launch of "Mission Critical" to reduce America's dependence on China for materials essential to national security and to make the Beehive State the top destination for critical mineral extraction and processing.
{#coxtweet} In April, the U.'s Board of Trustees voted to establish the Institute for Critical and Strategic Minerals at the university.
While still pending final approval from the Utah System of Higher Education, the institute aims to harness education, workforce development and research to expand domestic production of critical minerals and rare earth elements in the state.
Now, the new agreement will look to build on previous forays by advancing what has been a long-standing partnership between individual U. faculty and laboratory researchers through shared facilities, joint proposal development, visiting scholar programs, student internships, career pathways to national labs and more.
"Our partnership with the University of Utah combines unique facilities and capabilities and outstanding people to advance this mission. These integrated capabilities, along with a world-class student pipeline and partnership with U.S. industry, will help transform our nation's competitiveness in critical minerals research, workforce development, and technology demonstration," National Laboratory of the Rockies Director Jud Virden said in a statement.
The partnership was also established at an opportune time, as a team led by U. researchers in April was awarded $9.6 million by the Department of Energy to characterize the availability of critical minerals from unconventional sources across the Rocky Mountain region, including old coal mines.
"NLR (National Laboratory of the Rockies) has outstanding researchers and excellent facilities that complement those at the University of Utah. This collaborative and synergistic effort from both institutions will help to facilitate greater progress and innovation in meeting some of our country's critical needs," Michael Free, professor of metallurgical engineering at the U., and proposed director of the Institute for Critical and Strategic Minerals and special adviser to the National Laboratory of the Rockies.
