Argonne and the Department of Energy Launch New Partnership to Speed up U.S. Manufacturing Innovation

LEMONT, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has launched a new effort to help American companies develop and scale new products and manufacturing technologies more quickly.

Called the “National Science-at-Scale Collaborative,” the effort is supported by DOE’s Office of Critical Materials and Energy Innovation (CMEI). The collaborative brings together industry, government and the national laboratories to address complex challenges in critical materials and chemical manufacturing in the United States.

Argonne will work with industry partners on projects designed to move promising technologies from research to commercial production faster. Researchers will use advanced computer modeling, artificial intelligence, rapid synthesis tools and pilot-scale manufacturing systems at Argonne’s Materials Engineering Research Facility to help companies test and scale new production processes.

“American manufacturing has an opportunity to lead the next generation of innovation in critical materials and chemical processing,” said Paul Kearns, director of Argonne. “The National Science-at-Scale Collaborative will help connect discovery, engineering and deployment in ways that strengthen U.S. competitiveness and advance our economic security.”

The announcement followed an industry roundtable chaired by CMEI. Leaders from the chemical and critical materials sectors met to discuss manufacturing challenges and opportunities for collaboration.

“To compete globally, the U.S. must bring new technologies into domestic production more quickly,” said Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson. “This collaborative will help connect DOE, the national laboratories and private industry to speed up that process.”

The collaborative supports CMEI’s broader mission to strengthen America’s critical minerals supply chains and accelerate next-generation energy technologies.

Industry roundtable participants list:

• DOE: Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation Office.
• National Laboratory System: Argonne National Laboratory.
• Manufacturers: Aclara, Albemarle, ATALCO, BASF North America, Chemours, Dow, Entegris, Exxon Mobil, Orbia and Standard Lithium.