The overarching goal of this opportunity is to develop domestic supply chains for critical minerals and materials (CMM) by creating paths and strategies to commercialize processes that utilize domestic resources. These activities can include extraction, separation, processing, refining, alloying, or recycling technologies but should focus on decreasing environmental emissions, reducing resource usage or intensity, and/or optimizing cost. The FOA will include five areas of interest (AOI), which are separated into phases as follows:

1. CMM Supply Chain: Multiphase opportunity to develop technologies or process improvements along the critical mineral and material (CMM) supply chain that develop new domestic supplies of CMMs.
2. Value Added Products: Multiphase opportunity to develop value added products from a feedstock containing CMM.
3. Next Generation Technologies: Development of novel, “next generation” technologies to be utilized in the production of critical minerals and materials that focus on the optimization of environmental emissions, resource usage or intensity, and cost within extraction, production, separation, processing, refining, alloying, manufacturing, or recycling technologies.
4. Alternative Materials: Development of CMM alternatives or substitutes to increase robustness of domestic supply chains.
5. Alternative Products: Development of alternative energy technologies or designs of existing energy technologies, particularly technologies or designs that use materials that are abundant in the US or not subject to supply restrictions.