Our vision and impact

Explainer

Why we need The Monash Critical Minerals Initiative

Demand for critical minerals is surging, and geopolitical competition is intensifying, yet Australia’s processing capacity is falling behind. We've established assembled a cross-disciplinary team to tackle the challenge from the ground up.

Learn more

Our vision

Australia holds globally significant deposits of critical minerals essential to clean-energy systems, defence technologies, and advanced manufacturing.

But declining exploration rates, concentration of processing capacity offshore, and fragmented domestic capabilities place our national supply chains and strategic resilience at risk.

At Monash University we are seeking to strengthen Australia’s critical minerals capability and accelerate responsible critical minerals development and sovereign control.

We are doing this through integrating our cross-faculty expertise in discovery science, resource discovery, processing innovation, supply-chain intelligence, environmental systems and social trust, establishing a national and regional capability to accelerate responsible critical minerals development and sovereign control.

Why action is needed now

The world’s total demand for minerals necessary for the development of clean energy technologies is forecast to double or even quadruple by 2040, the International Energy Agency states.

To help meet this demand, Monash University provides scientific, economic, environmental and social critical minerals expertise in a single coordinated platform across the Indo-Pacific region, empowered by significant partnerships that span research, industry, and governments.

Our capabilities include:

  • Resource discovery and exploration modelling
  • Microfluidics, mineralogy, microbiology and materials science for extraction
  • Mineral economics and supply chain modelling
  • Integrated project finance, geopolitical and non-technical risk modelling with optimal taxation analysis
  • Chemical engineering and green separation technologies
  • Environmental stewardship, soil remediation and geographic information system analysis
  • Social licence, communication and responsible development
  • Program leadership and translation expertise

Why are critical minerals important?

Critical minerals, including rare earth elements, are used to manufacture key technologies that will help us transition to net zero emissions, such as:

  • Electric vehicles (EVs)
  • Batteries
  • Permanent magnets
  • Wind turbines
  • Solar photovoltaics (PVs)
  • Hydrogen electrolysers
  • Energy-efficient technologies like LEDs.

Critical minerals, and the technologies they enable, have important applications across vital sectors including:

  • Defence
  • Space
  • Energy
  • Transport
  • Agritech
  • Medicine
  • Computing
  • Telecommunications