The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) and the University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) have announced a collaborative partnership called the Joint Research Alliance for Innovative Materials and Processing for Advanced Critical Technologies (JRA-IMPACT). The initiative functions as a translational facility designed to advance critical mineral and materials technologies from laboratory discovery through commercial-scale demonstration.
The partnership leverages complementary capabilities of both institutions to address what researchers refer to as the “valley of death”—the transition period where promising scientific discoveries often fail to achieve commercial viability due to scaling challenges and deployment complexities. NLR contributes experimental platforms, computational modeling capabilities, and artificial intelligence expertise, while NRRI provides modular, adaptable laboratory and pilot-scale facilities. Together, the institutions can conduct research across technology readiness levels from small-scale experimentation at kilogram quantities up to industrial-scale processing at five to ten tons per hour.
Several research initiatives are already underway under the partnership. One project, conducted with the U.S. Department of War, focuses on recovering lithium from aluminum alloys used in military aircraft, which conventional recycling methods cannot effectively process. Additionally, NLR is leading a Department of Energy-funded center focused on removing unwanted metals from recycled materials, with a particular emphasis on removing copper contamination from scrap steel. This work aims to enable domestic steel production from recycled materials while recovering valuable critical minerals.
According to officials involved with the initiative, the partnership addresses national priorities around supply chain resilience, energy security, and advanced manufacturing capabilities. The alliance’s combined resources and expertise are intended to accelerate the development and demonstration of technologies necessary for maintaining U.S. competitiveness in critical minerals processing and advanced materials production.
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