Securing Technology-Critical Metals for Britain

The Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements and Critical Materials and the Critical Elements and Materials (CrEAM) Network drew together a panel of experts to help secure the future UK supply of technology-critical materials. The “Securing Technology-Critical Materials for Britain” Policy Commission aimed to develop a UK strategy for the supply of so-called strategic elements and critical materials – components of many modern technologies that are vital to the UK economy. For example, critical materials underpin future supply chains in the automotive, energy generation, robotics and electronics sectors.

The Policy Commission was chaired by former Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir John Beddington, and supported by a panel of expert commissioners representing the full materials supply chain. The commissioners provided expertise on policy, technology, trade, regulation, ethics and national security to formulate a series of recommendations for securing UK interests in this sector. I sat on the commission as one of the commissioners.