University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute launches IMPACT Alliance

The University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) today announced the launch of a new Joint Research Alliance with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR): Innovative Materials and Processing for Advanced Critical Technologies (IMPACT).

At a time when global competition and supply chain vulnerability are reshaping U.S. industrial strategy, IMPACT will serve as a national platform for industry-scale innovation, translational demonstration, and accelerated deployment of technologies that will secure critical minerals and materials supply chains — powering the next generation of American industry and manufacturing. The alliance pairs NRRI’s place-based, semi-industrial demonstration environments with NLR’s world-class capabilities in energy systems integration, advanced materials, industrial process innovation, and AI-driven high-performance computation and modeling.

IMPACT builds on the previously launched Midwest Industrial Transformation Initiative, which provides a regional framework for aligning industrial demonstration, workforce development and supply chain innovation with national competitiveness priorities. The alliance brings national laboratory capabilities into a place-based demonstration ecosystem rooted in Minnesota.

“We are excited to see the impact this Joint Research Alliance will have on Minnesota manufacturing,” said Great River Energy Economic Development Services Manager Tom Lambrecht, who also serves on the NRRI Advisory Board. “Strengthening supply chain research and accelerating industrial innovation are critical to keeping our state competitive.”

Click here to read the original press release from NRRI.