🚨 Funding alert:
PROSPECT Planning Prize (Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies) — U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI).

DOE has launched a $16 million prize to help eligible U.S. academic institutions rapidly expand the workforce needed for domestic critical minerals production, processing, recovery, and recycling. DOE anticipates selecting up to 16 winners, with $1 million per institution, to develop implementation-ready plans that substantially increase graduates and credentialed professionals in mining and related supply-chain fields by the end of 2028.

🔧 What it supports:
Plans for new or expanded education and workforce programs, including training and upskilling, experiential and work-based learning, industry-aligned curricula, stronger educational capacity, and pathways connecting participants to employment in critical minerals and materials careers.

🎯 Key focus areas include:
Expanding mining and critical-minerals talent pipelines; increasing graduates and credential attainment; engaging university, community college, and high school students; serving early-career and incumbent workers; strengthening educator capacity; creating practical learning experiences; and building partnerships among universities, industry, national laboratories, schools, workforce organizations, and communities.

💡 Why it matters:
DOE identifies a significant workforce gap across the critical-minerals supply chain, noting that U.S. mining-program enrollment has declined approximately 45% since 2015. PROSPECT represents a major opportunity for academic institutions to build scalable workforce pipelines tied directly to critical industries, domestic supply chains, advanced manufacturing, energy, and economic opportunity.

📌 How to apply:
Applications are submitted through HeroX, the official prize platform. The deadline is October 5, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Applicants should review the official prize rules for complete eligibility and submission requirements; DOE notes that dates are subject to change.

👥 Who should consider this:
U.S.-based academic institutions with eligible mining engineering programs should pay close attention, particularly those positioned to build partnerships with industry, community colleges, K–12 systems, workforce organizations, national laboratories, and communities.

The New Growth Team can help institutions assess fit, shape a workforce strategy, and provide grant writing and proposal development support to build a competitive proposal. Reach out for a quick conversation about positioning your PROSPECT application.