RV-05 · Research vertical

Critical Minerals, Reserves and Stockpiles

Criticality assessment and the governance of strategic reserves.

Critical minerals sit at the intersection of the energy transition, advanced manufacturing and national security. This vertical develops quantitative criticality and vulnerability assessment, and examines the design and governance of strategic reserves and stockpiles: acquisition, custody, rotation and release rules, and the comparative architecture of national programmes.

The research question

Which criticality and reserve architectures best insure economies against mineral supply shocks, and at what cost?

Current themes

RV-05.1
Criticality assessment methodologies and their assumptions
RV-05.2
Strategic stockpile design: acquisition, custody, rotation and release
RV-05.3
Comparative national reserve and stockpile programmes
RV-05.4
The technology-mineral nexus: batteries, magnets, semiconductors and defence
RV-05.5
Midstream processing concentration and industrial responses