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Critical Minerals
Strategic Initiative
Finding solutions to critical minerals challenges
Modern life runs on critical minerals—rare earths, lithium, cobalt and other minerals—fueling energy systems, defense technologies and more. As demand surges, Colorado School of Mines is solving the challenges that stand in the way.
From discovery to extraction and processing to policy, our experts, students and partners deliver bold, real-world solutions for the world’s toughest resource challenges. And it’s how we continue to lead—not just by solving today’s problems but by anticipating tomorrow’s needs with relevance and results.
From source to solution
Explore how Mines is shaping the conversation on critical minerals through groundbreaking research, real-world innovation and workforce development.
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End-to-end value chain
The demand dynamics for critical minerals is changing the rules of the game in the mining value chain at a fast pace. At Mines, we have expertise spanning the full life cycle of critical minerals – from economics to extraction and processing to end use, our experts are shaping the conversation on a national and global scale.
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Innovation and solutions beyond publication
At Mines, we collaborate with industry and government to solve real-world challenges, and we actively work to bring innovative solutions developed in our labs to market, with help from our dynamic entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.
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Workforce development
As a public R1 research university, training the next generation of problem solvers and leaders is central to our DNA. When it comes to critical minerals, Colorado School of Mines stands at the forefront, home to the No. 1 mining and mineral engineering program in the world (QS World University Rankings) and home to the only mineral and energy economics program in the U.S.
World-class facilities
Solving the world’s resource challenges requires the right research infrastructure, and Mines hosts world-class facilities for both lab-scale research and market scale-up.
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In the 1870s, the Edgar Experimental Mine produced high-grade silver, gold, lead and copper. Today, the Edgar Mine is a one-of-a-kind underground laboratory and classroom that advances mining and mineral research and provides hands-on learning experiences for those who are being trained to find, develop and process the world’s natural resources.
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Mines is one of only a few institutions in the world with broad expertise in explosives education and research. The Mines Explosives Research Laboratory maintains two world-class research facilities: the Outdoor Explosive Research Laboratory Site in Idaho Springs and the Indoor Small-Scale Laboratory on the Mines campus.
USGS Energy and Materials Research Facility
Colorado School of Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have a long history of working together to solve geological and mineral resource questions. The next phase of the partnership will begin in 2027 with the opening of the Energy and Minerals Research Facility on the Mines campus.
Informing the Conversation
Not only are Mines faculty advancing research and innovation to secure and strengthen critical mineral supply chains, they’re also providing Congressional testimony to inform national policy and sharing their expertise with national and international media to help the public better understand these complex topics.
U.S. policymakers turn to Mines for trusted expertise on critical minerals
Elizabeth Holley, associate professor of mining engineering, appeared before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party’s Critical Minerals Policy Working Group in September 2024 to explore the need to develop a skilled domestic workforce to support U.S. economic, energy and national security through the responsible sourcing of critical minerals.
U.S. already has the critical minerals it needs – but they’re being thrown away
In new Science article, Colorado School of Mines researchers call for more research, development and policy to increase critical mineral recovery.
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