DOE awards $16 million to universities

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $16 million to 16 universities through the PROSPECT Planning Prize. The funding is intended to grow the skilled workforce needed to produce, process, recover, and recycle critical minerals within the United States. The University of Utah is one of the selected institutions. The other recipients include the Colorado School of Mines, Columbia University, Michigan Technological University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Montana Technological University, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Penn State University, the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Arizona, the University of Kentucky, the University of Nevada Reno, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and West Virginia University.

Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson stated that the country has abundant natural resources but requires a skilled workforce to turn those resources into economic drivers. She noted that the mining and critical minerals workforce has declined for decades. Robertson said the PROSPECT initiative aims to reverse that trend by challenging universities to rapidly increase the number of graduates prepared to build and sustain American critical minerals supply chains.

The selected universities demonstrated strong planning for innovative programs designed to increase the number of credentialed professionals in mining and related supply chain fields. The goal is to substantially boost graduation rates in these sectors within the next two years. The United States faces a growing shortage of skilled professionals in this area. An estimated 6,000 new mining engineers will be required over the next decade to meet domestic needs.

The prize is part of a larger $100 million initiative called Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies, or PROSPECT. This broader program aims to restore American energy dominance and secure long term economic growth. It also seeks to rebuild domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign nations for critical materials. The administration views rebuilding the critical minerals and mining workforce as a key priority to strengthen a vital sector of the economy.

The Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation within the Department of Energy funded the prize. The National Laboratory of the Rockies managed the competition under the American-Made prize program. The winning universities will use the funds to advance nationwide efforts to create good-paying jobs in the sector.

The initiative focuses on creating a domestic talent pipeline to strengthen supply chains. By increasing the number of credentialed professionals, the program aims to lead to the creation of thousands of new American jobs. The selected schools will work to prepare students for careers that support the full spectrum of critical minerals activities, from mining to material production.

The Department of Energy released the list of winners on October 26, 2026. The awards mark a step in the federal government's strategy to address workforce gaps in the energy and mining sectors. The funding will support educational programs at the 16 institutions over the coming years.