NSF Announces Winners of Tech Metal Transformation Challenge

Eight teams awarded up to $2 million to develop solutions for extracting critical minerals from domestic waste streams

Mar. 25, 2026 at 2:02am

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The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) has announced eight winners of the Tech Metal Transformation Challenge, a program launched by STRIDE Ventures in November 2025 to address the national security imperative of securing the domestic supply chain for critical minerals. The winning teams will receive up to $2 million in the first 10-month stage to conduct research and development on their solutions for end-to-end prototype systems that can extract, convert and return metals from complex domestic waste streams into high-performance materials for advanced manufacturing.

Why it matters

The Tech Metal Transformation Challenge aims to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals and enable the onshoring of advanced manufacturing capabilities across key sectors like defense and energy. By supporting innovative solutions to extract and recycle critical metals from domestic waste streams, the program seeks to bolster U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and national security.

The details

The Challenge winners were selected from a pool of 18 finalists who pitched their ideas in person to a jury of industry, government and academic experts. Up to six of these teams will advance to Stage 2 (12 months) with up to $2.5 million each for market validation, and up to four finalists will earn up to $3 million in Stage 3 (12 months) to scale their technologies into the market. The winning solutions include engineered biosorbents, tunable polymer sorbents, acid-free dissolution recycling, integrated catalytic and electrochemical processing, bio-enabled recovery systems, and modular platforms tailored to specific waste streams.

  • The Challenge was launched by STRIDE Ventures in November 2025.
  • Between November 2025 and January 2026, 130 teams submitted applications.
  • Finalists pitched their solutions in person in Washington, D.C. in February 2026.
  • The winners were selected the following day.

The players

Erwin Gianchandani

NSF assistant director for the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships.

STRIDE Ventures

A new platform for supporting bold, milestone-driven efforts to translate emerging technologies into real-world capabilities, operated by the Start2 Group.

IBM

Provided donated e-waste that will serve as reference material during the initial stage of the challenge.

Aurubis

Provided donated e-waste that will serve as reference material during the initial stage of the challenge.

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Will collaborate with the winning teams to bolster the technical rigor and national security relevance of the effort.

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What they’re saying

“The Tech Metal Transformation Challenge is an exciting program that addresses a national security imperative to secure the domestic supply chain for critical minerals through research and innovation.”

— Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for TIP

What’s next

Up to six of the winning teams will advance to Stage 2 (12 months) with up to $2.5 million each for market validation, and up to four finalists will earn up to $3 million in Stage 3 (12 months) to scale their technologies into the market.

The takeaway

The Tech Metal Transformation Challenge represents a bold, responsible approach by the NSF to rapidly fund U.S. innovation and address the critical issue of securing domestic supplies of strategic minerals. By supporting innovative solutions to extract and recycle critical metals from waste streams, the program aims to bolster U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and national security.