In May of 2023, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, on behalf of the University of Missouri System, received a $1 million 24-month federal cooperative agreement to lead the development of an energy materials ecosystem in Kansas City.

The $999,480 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines (RIE) Program is funded through the CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law in 2022, to significantly boost U.S. production of microchips and tackle supply chain vulnerabilities to revitalize Americas scientific research and technological leadership.

Over the last 18 months, the Critical Materials Crossroads has been building momentum on the development of an energy materials campus that would produce midstream materials for energy generation, storage and distribution in the Kanas City Area to promote technical and economic development and prosperity in the Kansas City region. As part of this project, the Critical Materials Crossroads will create a highly trained workforce focused on advanced manufacturing, robotics and automation.

In October 2024, The UMKC Critical Materials Crossroads team officially advanced as a finalist for the NSF RIE Type 2 award. The full proposal is due in February 2025 and could lead to $160 million in additional funding over the next 10 years to help launch new businesses and educate the future critical-materials workforce.

Governor Mike Parson congratulated the four Missouri higher education institutions, including UMKC, for advancing to the next stage. The other three advancing institutions include the Missouri University of Science and Technology, University of Missouri–St. Louis and Washington University in St. Louis. 

"We are excited that out of 71 teams advancing in this national competition, Missouri is home to four of them," Governor Parson said. "Missouri's technology sector is budding and growing, and these teams will help us continue the exceptional work we have done to develop our workforce, strengthen our infrastructure and emerge as a technological leader. We congratulate our higher education institutions, as well as their application partners, on the incredible work that has gotten them to this point, and we trust that Missouri innovation will win the day, potentially securing these NSF Engine designations for our state."

This collective will leverage partnerships with universities, businesses, industry, nonprofits and state, local and federal government institutions in Kansas and Missouri to drive the growth needed for this new hub. To do this, manufacturers will be equipped with the necessary workforce, materials and innovation to develop domestically sustainable and profitable critical goods.

Goals for the collective include:

• Coordinate, facilitate and mentor creation of 70 small businesses in Missouri and Kansas
• Increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area by greater than 5.5% ($17 Billion) by 2035, creating an average of 1,000 new jobs per year from 2026-2035 (10,000 jobs total).
• Become a national thought leader in the Kansas City region on energy materials
• Secure a sustainable, competitive and complete US based supply chain for energy materials processing and manufacturing
• Create and maintain a pipeline of targeted degree/certificate holders to meet workforce needs
• Be the catalyst and trusted partner for U.S. energy material processing and manufacturing that drives innovation
• Develop a technology maturation network that rapidly scales new technologies from lab-scale to full-scale by providing centralized business support services and funding for startups and new innovations.

“UMKC is proud to take the lead on behalf of the University of Missouri System and its four universities on this exciting effort to create a new industrial base in our region focused on computer chips and other microelectronics,” said UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal. “The potential for business formation and job creation is extraordinary, and we’ll be working with partners throughout Missouri and Kansas to make it happen.”

Anthony Caruso, Curators' Distinguished Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering and UMKC Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, is the principal investigator for the grant.

“Our goal is to realize a self-sustaining Kansas-Missouri microelectronics industrial base that will become profitable without the need for government subsidy,” Caruso said. “That requires reinventing manufacturing practices. To meet this grand challenge, the team will focus on synergistic and symbiotic partnerships that leverage the unique natural resources, manufacturing and transportation capacity of Missouri and Kansas. The ultimate goal is to develop marked improvements in regional educational attainment and economic growth.”

Energy materials – underpin many aspects of day-to-day life, including medical equipment, cars, industrial machinery and consumer electronics. U.S. manufacturing has declined significantly since the early 1990s, leaving the country reliant on imported critical materials which many see as a threat to both economic growth and national security. The CMC aims to reshore these manufacturing jobs and provide a sustainable pathway to develop these critical goods and materials domestically, lowering our reliance on foreign entities of concern and increasing national and economic security.

The team includes institutions of higher education, representation from local and state governments, industry and business partners, national labs, non-profits, and civic organizations across the KC MSA, Kansas and Missouri. Major partners include all four universities in the UM System, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Lincoln University, Wichita State University, Missouri State University, Pittsburg State University, Central Missouri State University, Lincoln University, Harris-Stowe State University, St. Louis University, Metropolitan Community College, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Integra Tech, Nitride Global, EaglePicher, MEMC-Global Wafers, Jost Chemical, Arkin Sales, ICL, Brewer Science, Doe Run, Enersys, Asir, Catalytic Innovations, Sylvatex, U.S. Strategic Metals, ThREE, KC Rising, National Security Crossroads, The Full Employment Council, Great Jobs KC, Birch Creek Innovations, Impossible Metals, JE Dunn, Burns and McDonnell, Black and Veatch, Midwest Recycling, KC Area Development Council, Enterprise KC, KC Economic Development Council, KC Digital Drive, Missouri Department of Economic Development, PortKC, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Missouri Tech Alliance, Entrepreneurship KC, KC Rising, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and startups Homebase, Bravas, Balto, Pierian, Torch, Potter, Nidec, Digital Ally and Crosstalk.