UAF Alaska Critical Mineral Accelerator in spotlight
A University of Alaska Fairbanks proposal to reduce the United States’ dependency on foreign sources of minerals critical to the technolo- gy and defense industries has been named a semifinalist in a National Science Foundation competition. UAF’s proposal would establish the Alaska Critical Mineral Acceler- ator at the UAF Geophysical Insti- tute and could bring over 10 years of funding through the NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines program. The National Science Foundation announced 29 semifinalists July 8 from the 71 entries selected from 294 applications. Semifinalists will un - dergo a live virtual assessment, with winners expected to be announced in early 2026. “The Alaska Critical Mineral Ac- celerator leadership team is thrilled to have advanced to the next stage of
the NSF Regional Innovation Engines competition,” said Lee Ann Munk, director of the Geophysical Institute’s Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative and lead investigator on the proposal. The collaborative, which submit- ted the proposal, is a joint effort of the Geophysical Institute and the UAF Institute of Northern Engineering. Its goal is to bring resources to the state and university to accelerate critical minerals production by partnering with industry and other research entities. “We have a very strong coali- tion solidified across the university and our partner team in the critical minerals space and are supported by the state of Alaska,” said Munk, who is a professor with UAF’s Geophys- ical Institute and College of Natural Science and Mathematics. The Alaska Critical Mineral
Accelerator would involve several UAF units, the University of Alaska Anchorage, the University of Alaska Southeast, state and federal govern- ments, Alaska Native corporations, tech startups, national laboratories, and nonprofits. The UAF proposal seeks to make Alaska a leader in supporting an emerging U.S. critical minerals min- ing industry. “This can only be accomplished through the cohesive industry-ac- ademia-government coalition we are building through the UAF Alaska Critical Mineral Collaborative,” Munk said. Munk said Alaska is well suited because of the presence of the na- tion’s largest critical mineral mine, Red Dog zinc mine; other metal mines with critical minerals; and the ability of the University of Alaska
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The Alaska Miner
Summer 2025
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