UofU, National Laboratory of the Rockies partner to improve energy system

The University of Utah and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to strengthen the U.S. energy system. 

The agreement enables collaborative research on the country’s national security and energy priorities, from water security, critical minerals and advanced manufacturing to AI-driven science and high-performance computing.

University of Utah President Taylor Randall and National Laboratory of the Rockies Director Jud Virden signed the MOU earlier this month at the NLR facility in Golden, Colorado. The following day, Audrey Robertson, DOE’s assistant secretary for critical minerals and energy innovation, celebrated the agreement during the laboratory’s annual partner forum, a gathering of energy leaders focused on critical minerals.

“This partnership comes at a pivotal moment, when strengthening the nation’s energy resilience is more important than ever,” said Randall. “Together, we’re more capable of tackling the toughest scientific challenges.”

The MOU advances long-standing partnerships between individual UofU faculty and laboratory researchers in areas including data visualization and high-performance computing at a national scale. The three-year agreement will enable even greater collaboration through shared facilities, joint proposal development, visiting scholar programs, student internships and career pathways to national labs and more.

As part of the MOU, NLR will work with university researchers to bolster energy security by strengthening supply chains. Technologies like batteries, cellphones, semiconductors and defense systems require components made from critical materials and rare earth elements, many of which are imported from abroad. To reduce supply-chain risk, the U.S. is rapidly expanding domestic sources of critical minerals.

“The monumental effort will require cooperation from all sectors — and the MOU unites two leaders well positioned to align key players,” the UofU said in a statement.

Pending approval of the Utah Board of Higher Education, the UofU’s proposed Institute for Critical & Strategic Minerals (ICSM) would bring together interdisciplinary experts to drive innovation at every stage of critical mineral development while also addressing broader related challenges. Together with its external advisory board of industry and governmental partners, the institute will advance critical minerals research from geological discovery to real-world application.

“NLR has outstanding researchers and excellent facilities that complement those at the University of Utah. This collaborative and synergistic effort from both institutions will help to facilitate greater progress and innovation in meeting some of our country’s critical needs,” said Michael Free, professor of metallurgical engineering at the UofU, proposed director of the ICSM and special advisor to NLR.

“For more than a century, the University of Utah has trained engineers, geologists and other scientists who have powered energy research in the region,” said Mitzi Montoya, executive vice president for academic affairs for the UofU. “This agreement will allow us to build on that legacy and existing partnerships in new ways. We look forward to working with the NLR in these key areas for many years to come.”

The partnership will draw on the region’s expertise and long history in energy development, the UofU statement said. Recently, a UofU-led team that includes Colorado School of Mines and other regional universities was awarded $9.6 million by the DOE to characterize critical minerals in unconventional sources across the Rocky Mountain area, including old coal mines and other waste.

“Our partnership with the University of Utah combines unique facilities and capabilities and outstanding people to advance this mission. These integrated capabilities, along with a world-class student pipeline and partnership with U.S. industry, will help transform our nation’s competitiveness in critical minerals research, workforce development and technology demonstration,” said Virden.