Sec. 302. Critical minerals mining research and development at the National Science Foundation
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The Director of the National Science Foundation shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortium of such institutions or organizations) to support basic research that will accelerate innovation to advance critical minerals mining strategies and technologies for the purpose of making better use of domestic resources and eliminating national reliance on minerals and mineral materials that are subject to supply disruptions.
Activities funded by a grant under this section may include— advancing mining research and development activities to develop new mapping and mining technologies and techniques, including advanced critical mineral extraction, production, separation, alloying, or processing techniques and technologies that can decrease energy intensity, potential environmental impact and costs of those activities; conducting long-term earth observatory of reclaimed mine sites, including the study of the evolution of microbial diversity at such sites; examining the application of artificial intelligence for geological exploration of critical minerals, including what the size and diversity of data sets would be required; examining the application of machine learning for detection and sorting of critical minerals, including what the size and diversity of data sets would be required; conducting detailed isotope studies of critical minerals and the development of more refined geologic models; or providing training and researcher opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students to prepare the next generation of mining engineers and researchers.