With the International Energy Agency forecasting critical minerals demand will double — or even quadruple — by 2040, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, is launching a major cross-disciplinary initiative aimed at securing Australia’s place in the global supply chain.
The Monash Critical Minerals Initiative (MCMI) brings together more than 40 researchers from the university’s Business and Economics, Science, Engineering and Arts faculties. Its work spans the full minerals value chain, from resource discovery and extraction technologies to environmental stewardship, supply chain modelling, investment policy and social licence outcomes.
“The MCMI brings together expertise from across disciplines to help balance supply security with sustainability, ensuring that extraction, processing and recycling are efficient and responsible,” Russell Smyth, deputy dean (research) in the Faculty of Business and Economics, said.
“By drawing on the considerable expertise on critical minerals across Monash, the MCMI can tailor solutions that anticipate market volatility, reduce geopolitical risk, and accelerate the transition to clean energy technologies.”
The initiative is built around six research pillars: new mineral resources, future processing technologies, mine rehabilitation, environmental and social impact systems, policy and economics, and national security.
Researchers will work alongside partners including CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, Resources Victoria, the International Energy Agency, and the ARC Research Hub for Carbon Utilisation and Recycling.
Source: Monash University