Critical materials power modern life — from cellphones, batteries and semiconductors to medical technologies, pharmaceuticals and national defense. Yet the United States imports most of the rare-earth minerals it consumes, leaving essential industries vulnerable to disruptions in foreign supply chains.

A bistate initiative led by the University of Missouri-Kansas City aims to change that — and make the Kansas City region a national hub for critical materials innovation and production.

Government, business, civic and university leaders from Missouri and Kansas gathered Friday at Union Station to celebrate the launch of the U.S. National Science Foundation Critical Materials Crossroads Engine, backed by an award of up to $160 million from the NSF.

That collaboration was on display at Union Station, with leaders from across the political spectrum and both sides of the state line, including Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri and U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, along with NSF, university, business and civic leaders.

“Missouri and Kansas recognized an opportunity before us, and we chose to compete for the future together,” Kehoe said. “That’s good for our region, and it’s great for our country.”

The location was fitting. Saved and restored after Missouri and Kansas voters approved a bistate tax in 1996, Union Station stands as a symbol of what the region can accomplish when it works across state lines. Now, leaders are rallying there around another ambitious regional undertaking.

“Since 1996, when voters from Missouri and Kansas approved the rescue and renovation of Union Station, this grand building has become a symbol of bistate collaboration and the great things that can happen when people work together across state lines,” UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal said. “Today, we embark on our region’s next great endeavor.”

Building a Domestic Supply Chain

Critical materials include metals and minerals such as nickel, chromium, magnesium, copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite, gallium and rare earth elements. They are essential to transportation, healthcare, communications, energy, advanced technologies and national defense.

“We learned during the pandemic just how vulnerable our supply chains are and can be,” said U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, in recorded remarks. “When we rely too heavily on other countries for critical materials and components, a disruption halfway around the world can mean higher prices, empty shelves or delays for American businesses and families.”

Critical Materials Crossroads aims to build a new domestic critical materials ecosystem in the Missouri and Kansas region — bringing together research, innovation, workforce development, manufacturing and commercialization to strengthen U.S. supply chains and position the Kansas City region to compete globally.

“The $160 million investment that’s going to be made right here is part of a broader effort to bring these supply chains home,” Schmitt said. “We simply cannot rely on China for all the critical materials we need, from everything from iPhones to the materials we need to build fighter jets.”

The initiative has drawn support from more than 260 leaders and organizations across Missouri, Kansas and beyond. Universities, businesses, government agencies, workforce organizations and civic leaders have united around the effort.

Stakeholder groups set up booths at the event including Arco Construction, Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, City of Sugar Creek, Enterprise KC, Full Employment Council, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Great Jobs KC, GreenTec Auto, IT Recycling Answers, Kiessinger-Hunter, Kissick Construction, KS Department of Commerce, MO Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Geological Survey, MRC Recycling, National Lab of the Rockies, NorthPoint Development, Scrap Advisors and Wagner Logistics.

“The NSF Engines represent the best of American innovation, and the Critical Materials Crossroads Engine’s inclusion in that class signals just how important this region is to America’s success in the long term,” said Erwin Gianchandani, assistant director for technology, innovation and partnerships at National Science Foundation, who spoke at the event. “America is counting on you to turn that cooperation into a new generation for America’s critical materials industry, upon which every sector of our economy depends on a daily basis.”

Once-In-A-Generation Opportunity

The initiative represents the largest grant ever awarded to UMKC and the University of Missouri System. But its ambitions extend well beyond university research.

The NSF Regional Innovation Engines program is designed to bring together academia, industry, government and nonprofit organizations to turn research and innovation into new technologies, businesses, jobs and economic growth.

Within the decade, Critical Materials Crossroads is projected to generate $40 billion in gross economic output, support approximately 10,000 jobs and spur more than $3 billion in public-private investment across the greater Kansas City region.

Anthony Caruso, UMKC vice chancellor for strategic initiatives, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering and the principal investigator for Critical Materials Crossroads, put the importance of critical materials in everyday terms.

“The coffee you brewed this morning, the cool air in this room, the sound system you are listening to, your method of transportation to this event, the display on your mobile device — all of the machines that serve you and the world daily require critical materials,” Caruso said.

The region brings strategic advantages to the challenge, including its central location, extensive rail, river and road transportation networks and deep expertise in advanced manufacturing, materials research and engineering.

A Region Rallies Behind the Effort

Just weeks after Kansas City demonstrated its ability to come together to welcome the world for the World Cup, regional leaders pointed to Critical Materials Crossroads as another opportunity to channel that collaborative spirit into an initiative with potentially generational impact.

“We have the talent. We have the research capacity. We have the industry. We have the universities,” Agrawal said. “And, most importantly, we have partners on both sides of the state line who understand that the biggest opportunities in front of us are bigger than any one university, company, city or state.”

At Friday’s event, regional business and civic leaders announced the formation of a leadership group that will work alongside UMKC and Critical Materials Crossroads partners to champion the initiative, attract companies in the critical materials sector and help build the regional ecosystem necessary to sustain the effort.

Cameron Garrison, chair of the UMKC Board of Trustees, a partner at Lathrop GPM and a longtime civic leader, said the business community sees Critical Materials Crossroads as more than a university research initiative.

“We knew it could be a catalyst for fostering local innovation,” Garrison said. “We could see from the beginning that this was not only a bold and innovative idea but also a transformative project that would forever change this region.”

For Garrison, the gathering at Union Station marked both an achievement and a starting point.

“We mark today’s milestone achievement with great pride and enthusiasm,” he said. “However, we know that the hard work truly begins now.”

What Leaders Are Saying About the NSF Critical Materials Crossroads Engine

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe: “Missouri is a destination for the industries that will drive America’s future. Whether it’s advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, life sciences, agriculture, engineering or cutting-edge research, we’re not waiting for the future to come to us. We’re building it here.”

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri: “We have become a pretty big deal, Kansas City, and not just in football. This is a Super Bowl win. This is a big deal.”

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas: “I especially love seeing institutions like UMKC, KU and Kansas State working together across state lines, because that is what this region does so well. We bring people together, we figure out what we are good at and then we actually start to build something. This award is proof that Kansas City can be a national leader in doing exactly that.”

Todd Graves, chair of the University of Missouri Board of Curators: “This initiative demonstrates what can happen when higher education, industry and government unite behind a shared purpose. This significant investment positions Missouri to lead in an area that is vital to our nation’s future while creating lasting opportunities for our universities, citizens and economy.”

Mun Choi, president of University of Missouri System: “I can’t wait to see this project take hold so we can unleash the $17 billion of economic impact to this region, right here in Missouri, right here in Kansas.”