US critical materials strategy: The importance of innovation in obtaining supply chain security

Critical raw materials (CRMs) and/or critical minerals and materials (CMMs) are metals, metal groups, and non-metallic minerals essential for the many modern technologies, including wind turbine, electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Different countries have slightly different metrics for determining criticality. However, broadly speaking, the European Union (EU) and United States (US)both define them as materials that reach or exceed thresholds for both economic importance and supply risk. Furthermore, both organizations have implemented instruments, such as the EU's 2024 Critical Raw Materials Act and the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Critical Minerals and Materials Strategy, to facilitate research and development of CRM/CMM ranging from mineral deposit development to geometallurgy to separations to advanced manufacturing. This talk is aimed at an EU audience to explain the DOE CMM strategy and how it compares to the steps taken by the EU to facilitate progress. Furthermore, this talk takes a geology-centric approach on the challenges geoscientists face and how their roles may change in the future.