UMKC wins $160M grant for program to reduce US reliance on foreign materials

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The University of Missouri-Kansas City-led NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine was selected by the U.S. National Science Foundation to receive up to $160 million in funding.

The university reports the research grant award could potentially be the “largest award in Missouri higher education history and one of the nation’s most significant investments in rebuilding America’s domestic critical materials ecosystem.”

UMKC initiated the Critical Materials Crossroads in 2022. The coalition is driven by more than 260 partners across higher education, industry, entrepreneurship, government, and community and workforce development organizations — spanning Missouri and Kansas.

With a focus on innovation and establishing the region as a national hub for critical materials, the Critical Materials Crossroads works to increase “production of the metals and advanced materials that manufacturers use in batteries, aircraft engine parts, semiconductors, medical devices and more.”

In the next decade, UMKC sees the initiative creating approximately 10,000 jobs across manufacturing, research and development, logistics, engineering, construction and workforce training. Those jobs would then generate up to $40 billion in economic output, increasing the Missouri-Kansas DCP by $17 billion over the 10-year period, the university said.

UMKC has spent years working toward this moment. In February, Chancellor Mauli Agrawal told KSHB 41’s Grant Stephens that part of the push is that Kansas City is the ideal geographic location. He said the area is ripe for critical materials in raw form and is conveniently in the middle of the nation.

In a statement Tuesday, Agrawal called the funding award a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

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

Ultimately, the university believes the work of the Critical Materials Crossroads could reduce the country’s dependence on foreign-controlled supply chains for critical materials.

Several other university leaders, state and federal leaders, and industry partners commented on the news.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said the award is proof that the “future of American innovation is being built right here in Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District.”

And U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids said the success shows what’s possible when teamwork across states and sectors combines to “build the future right here in the heartland.”

Other responses can be found here.

Critical Materials Crossroads will receive $15 million over two years. Then, once progress can be demonstrated on “well-defined milestones,” the initiative has the potential to receive up to $160 million over the next decade.

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