Texas at the Centre of America's Critical Minerals Future 

Under Invitation: The Governor of Texas

Strategic Presentation: From Critical Materials Research to Domestic Supply Chain Resilience 

• Understanding the materials and technology gaps that create vulnerabilities in US critical minerals supply chains 

• Reducing reliance on scarce or strategically sensitive elements through material substitution and recycling 

• Advancing processing and materials innovation to strengthen domestic supply capabilities 

• Bridging the gap between national laboratory research and commercially viable industrial applications 

• Strengthening collaboration between research institutions, industry and government to accelerate deployment of critical materials solutions 

• Where the U.S. remains most exposed across mining, processing, refining and manufacturing
• Which parts of the value chain need to be built domestically
• How government and industry can accelerate investment
• Building resilient supply chains with trusted international partners

Moderator: Dustin Olsen, Chief Digital Officer Rare Earth Exchanges

• Where the greatest processing and refining vulnerabilities remain
• Developing commercially viable domestic midstream capacity
• Technologies and business models that can accelerate development
• Connecting domestic production with downstream demand

• Addressing permitting, infrastructure and development barriers
• Improving project economics and reducing development risk
• Securing capital, technology and long-term offtake
• Creating stronger collaboration between government, developers and industry

Moderator: Chairperson: Jim Claunch, Expert Partner, Bain & Company 

• Understanding why control of refining, processing and manufacturing increasingly defines national power 

• Examining how China built an integrated rare earth industrial ecosystem and why Western nations cannot replicate it alone 

• Exploring how allied supply-chain networks can combine financing, technology and production to build competitive alternatives 

• Assessing the implications for capital allocation, supply-chain risk and country-of-origin exposure 

• Understanding why the cost of building resilient supply chains may drive structural inflation over the long term 

• Expanding domestic processing and refining across priority minerals
• The role of recycling and secondary sources
• Creating competitive economics for U.S. processing capacity
• Building partnerships between miners, processors and industrial consumers

• Assessing the pipeline of U.S. critical minerals projects
• Moving strategic resources from exploration towards commercial production
• The impact of permitting, infrastructure and development timelines
• Identifying projects with potential to strengthen domestic supply

1. The Missing Middle - Scaling U.S. Processing and Refining Capacity

2. From Strategic Need to Commercial Project - What Does It Take to Make a Critical Minerals Project Bankable?

3. Securing the Defence Supply Chain - From Strategic Mineral to Mission-Critical Material

4. The Texas Opportunity - Can Texas Build a Complete Critical Minerals Ecosystem

• Balancing domestic production with diversified international supply
• Strengthening U.S. partnerships across North America and Australia
• Building integrated supply chains that reduce strategic dependence
• The role of international companies in U.S. projects

• Project development milestones
• Permitting and infrastructure lessons
• Building processing and commercial partnerships
• What other developers can learn

• The emergence of Texas as a destination for critical minerals investment
• Downstream processing and manufacturing opportunities
• Infrastructure, energy availability and industrial capabilities
• What further investment is needed

Under Invitation: Adriana Cruz, Executive Director, Texas Economic Development Office 

• Demand from defence, automotive, energy, batteries and advanced manufacturing
• Creating long-term offtake and strategic purchasing arrangements
• Balancing domestic supply with global cost competitiveness
• Building stronger relationships between producers and industrial consumers

Moderator: Jim Claunch, Expert Partner, Bain & Company 

• Connecting mines, processors, manufacturers and infrastructure 

• Developing regional ecosystems around strategic mineral resources 

• Leveraging state and federal economic-development initiatives 

• Creating scalable industrial clusters rather than isolated projects 

• Balancing supply security with international cost competitiveness
• Understanding commodity prices and global market dynamics
• Building commercially sustainable critical minerals businesses
• Creating supply chains that can compete beyond government support

1. From Mine to Market - Closing the Gaps in America's Critical Minerals Supply Chain

2. From Mine to Motor - Building an Integrated U.S. Critical Minerals Supply Chain

3. From Qualification to Commercial Supply - Building the Infrastructure Behind Trusted Critical Minerals

4. Powering America's Critical Minerals Build-Out - The Infrastructure Opportunity Behind New Supply Chains

5. The Digital Critical Minerals Supply Chain - From Traceability to Supply Chain Intelligenc

• Scaling advanced extraction, processing, separation and refining technologies from demonstration to commercial operations. 

• Improving recovery rates while reducing energy and water intensity. 

• Overcoming the commercial and technical barriers to deploying new processing and recycling technologies. 

• Meeting manufacturers’ requirements for material quality, consistency, qualification and reliable supply. 

• Strengthening collaboration between technology developers, mineral producers, processors and downstream industrial customers. 

• Assessing early-stage processing technologies and their path to commercial scale 

• Securing feedstock supply and establishing pricing for unconventional mineral sources and material forms 

• Evaluating offtake agreements, commercial partnerships and supply risks 

• What investors need to see to move projects from promising technology to bankable operations 

• How developers, technology companies and investors can work together to close funding gaps 

Interactive Roundtable Exchange: From Discussion to Action. What Will It Take to Build Competitive U.S. Critical Minerals Supply Chains? 

Led by: Elle Gahl, Managing Director, 1864 Capital  

Each roundtable will focus on a specific challenge in developing commercially viable U.S. critical minerals supply chains, beginning with a short context-setting briefing followed by 3–5 pre-prepared discussion questions. 

Participants will share experiences, challenges and practical approaches, with a facilitator guiding the conversation and capturing the key points. Each discussion will conclude with a brief summary of key takeaways, areas of agreement, differing perspectives and practical actions identified by the group. 

• Capital allocation & project bankability — What makes a critical minerals project investable, and how can financing gaps be addressed? 

• Offtake & long-term demand — How can producers and industrial buyers establish commercial relationships and secure long-term demand? 

• Permitting & infrastructure — Which barriers are holding projects back, and what would accelerate development? 

• Processing, refining & commercial scale — How can the U.S. close midstream capacity gaps and bring projects to commercial production? 

• Supplier qualification & market access — What do downstream manufacturers need before committing to new domestic suppliers?