The global energy transition is a driver of both current and projected global demands for critical minerals as it requires the development of alternative energy sources, energy storage, and energy transport, all requiring large quantities of critical minerals. Yet, there are multiple additional industrial sectors – electronics, healthcare, computing – and national security (defense and cyber infrastructure) that rely on critical minerals. The collective demand elevates the criticality of addressing critical mineral system resilience.

The predominant research and education paradigm focuses within specific disciplines (e.g., mining, exploration, extraction technology, performance/use). Such a scope fails to recognize the upstream impacts (e.g., environment, water supplies, socioeconomic) associated with acquiring and processing the mass quantities of finite minerals, and missed downstream opportunities that emerge from lack of recovery capabilities in a current linear system. 

The Critical Minerals Hub uniquely integrates diverse dimensions of the complex critical mineral system into coherent interdisciplinary research and education ecosystem.