The U.S. Energy Department on Wednedsay announced its support, up to $120 million over the next five years, for the launch of a new Critical Materials Research Institute, or "Hub," located at Ames Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. As the Energy Department explained the new hub's mission in a news release:

"the Hub will initially focus on developing solutions to shortages for five rare earth elements as well as lithium and tellurium, and the technologies -- including electric vehicle motors and batteries, wind turbines, energy-efficient lighting and thin-film solar cells -- that use these critical materials."

The new research center is the latest of five total such Hubs located around the country, each specializing in a different clean energy or advanced energy field, that are designed to mimic the collaborative environment of the seminal Bell Laboratories where the transistor was developed, and the Manhattan Project.