The cohort of grantees focuses on reducing industrial dependence on volatile supply chains by developing alternatives to scarce minerals. Projects range from extracting lithium directly from seawater and industrial waste to engineering silicon-based battery chemistries and low-iridium anodes for green hydrogen production. By backing these scientists at the laboratory phase, the foundation aims to bridge the gap between academic discovery and commercial scalability.

"The green transition has a materials problem," said Cilia Holmes Indahl, CEO of EQT Foundation. "Too many clean technologies depend on a handful of critical minerals, mined under dangerous, exploitative conditions. The researchers we are backing are working on the hard science to change that, rethinking clean technologies from the ground up." Beyond the financial injection, the program provides researchers with access to the foundation's commercial network to assist in navigating the path toward real-world deployment.