The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation is launching the Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT) Planning Prize. This prize supports academic institutions in developing the skilled workforce needed for the domestic production, processing, recovery, and recycling of critical minerals.
The United States is entering a new era of domestic critical minerals and materials development. Securing resilient domestic supply chains requires not only new mines, processing facilities, manufacturing capacity, and recycling infrastructure, but also a new generation of engineers, scientists, technicians, and skilled professionals prepared to build and sustain them.
This $16 million prize challenges U.S.-based academic institutions with eligible mining engineering programs to submit plans for novel programs aimed at substantially increasing the number of graduates and other credentialed professionals prepared for relevant mining and supply chain fields by the end of the 2028 calendar year.
Competing academic institutions will submit plans that will create pathways for job placement upon graduation or program completion. DOE anticipates making up to 16 awards of $1 million each to winning schools.
This prize is a part of DOE’s broader PROSPECT initiative, which aims to restore U.S. energy dominance, rebuild domestic supply chains, and reduce reliance on foreign adversaries for the materials that power modern energy, manufacturing, and defense technologies.
The PROSPECT Planning Prize is funded by DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation. The prize is managed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies under the American-Made program.
View the official prize timeline for the most current dates and deadlines. All dates are subject to change, including challenge openings, deadlines, and announcements.
Click on the “Follow Challenge” button at the top of this page to receive the latest prize updates. If you have questions, please use the contact feature on the HeroX platform or message us directly at PROSPECTprize@nlr.gov.
For full eligibility requirements, please read the official rules.
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