The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Texas at Dallas have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand research in battery science and bolster the supply chain of critical materials. The agreement aims to accelerate U.S. leadership in energy storage and manufacturing competitiveness.
The MOU was formally signed during a ceremony July 22 at Argonne’s Materials Engineering Research Facility, known as MERF. The facility bridges bench-scale research and pilot production, enabling rapid advancement from concept to commercialization.
Argonne Laboratory Director Paul Kearns emphasized the longstanding collaboration between the institutions. “With our complementary strengths in science and engineering, we have the great potential to make an even greater impact on U.S. prosperity and security driven by pivotal discoveries and transformative innovations,” he stated.
Claus Daniel, associate laboratory director for Argonne’s Advanced Energy Technologies directorate, said the partnership would drive scientific breakthroughs essential to U.S. competitiveness and national security. “We are working together with partners in academia and industry to lead the charge in battery science, critical material supply chain development and workforce development today and for years to come.”
The agreement will also involve UT Dallas’s Batteries and Energy to Advance Commercialization and National Security (BEACONS) center, established in 2023 with a $30 million Department of Defense grant to drive energy storage solutions and support commercialization efforts.
Jianlin Li, Argonne’s department director of energy storage and conversion, explained the scope of collaboration: “By working together, we can collaborate on multiple areas like creating and upscaling the development of critical materials and optimizing battery systems. All of this will contribute to establish a more stable and competitive energy storage supply chain within the U.S.
