Lawrence Tech launches $100,000 critical materials innovation challenge

The program will identify, evaluate, commercialize and scale breakthrough technologies that strengthen the US critical materials and rare earth element automotive supply chain.

Centrepolis Accelerator at Michigan’s Lawrence Technological University (LTU) has announced the launch of the Critical Materials Manufacturing Technology Accelerator (CMMTA), a national technology commercialization and manufacturing acceleration initiative developed in partnership with the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR).

Founded in 1992, USCAR is the collaborative automotive technology company of the three major domestic American automakers: Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Stellantis.

The program will identify, evaluate, commercialize and scale breakthrough technologies that strengthen the United States’ critical materials and rare earth element (REE) automotive supply chain while addressing both commercial and defense manufacturing needs, LTU said.

At the center of the initiative is the Critical Materials Manufacturing Technology Innovation Challenge, a global technology-scouting effort seeking the world’s most promising technologies capable of reducing U.S.

dependence on foreign sources of critical materials.

The challenge is focused on technologies that can move quickly from the laboratory to commercial production, helping establish new domestic manufacturing capabilities and supply chains for the automotive, aerospace, energy, electronics and defense industries.

The Innovation Challenge is organized around three focus areas: advancements in critical materials and rare earth processing into automotive components; alternative domestic material substitution and material independence and end-of-life recovery and recycling of critical materials for domestic production processes.

Companies selected through the Innovation Challenge will be eligible for a $100,000 grand prize and a range of commercialization support services, including pilot and demonstration projects, product engineering and design-for-manufacturability support, and connections to automotive, defense and industrial customers.

The program does not support technologies focused on mineral exploration, mining or primary ore extraction, rather seeking critical innovations that can be processed into automotive components including drive systems, batteries, motors, electronics, power electronics, sensors, structural and non-structural components.

“USCAR was founded to strengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry through pre-competitive, collaborative research and critical materials are central to that mission,” USCAR executive director Dr.

Steven Przesmitzki said in a news release.

“Partnering with Centrepolis Accelerator on this Innovation Challenge and Accelerator lets us look beyond our member companies to the broader innovation ecosystem for technologies that can secure the domestic supply of materials our industry depends on.” Electra last year launched an early works program, signaling a restart of North America’s first and only cobalt sulfate refinery.

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