University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Critical Materials Crossroads Engine awarded $160M  

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected the University of Missouri-Kansas City-led NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine to receive up to $160 million in funding as it invests in rebuilding America’s domestic critical materials ecosystem. 

The award positions the Greater Kansas City region and the broader Missouri-Kansas corridor as a national hub for critical materials innovation, commercialization and workforce development, the university said.  

The initiative is expected to create approximately 10,000 jobs by 2036 across manufacturing, research and development, logistics, engineering, construction and workforce training, according to a Missouri Extension economic impact analysis.  

The effort could also generate up to $40 billion in economic output and increase the combined Missouri-Kansas GDP by $17 billion over the 10-year period, it said.

The NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine, initiated by the University of Missouri System in 2022, is driven by a coalition of more than 260 partners spanning higher education, industry, entrepreneurship, government and community and workforce development organizations in Missouri and Kansas. Its goal is to help secure the United States’ economic and national security future by reducing dependence on foreign-controlled supply chains for critical materials. 

The NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine (Critical Materials Crossroads) said it will develop the regional ecosystem necessary for increasing production of the metals and advanced materials that manufacturers use in batteries, aircraft engine parts, semiconductors, and more.  

The starting materials include concentrated ore and spent materials, recovered domestically and internationally. The effort, led by UMKC, aims to establish the region as a national hub for critical materials innovation, commercialization and workforce development. 

“Critical Materials Crossroads represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen America’s economic and national security while positioning the Kansas City region as a global leader in critical materials research and innovation,” UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal said in a news release. 

 “This initiative reflects what is possible when a region unites around a bold vision with national impact.”