MIDWEST INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVE
MITI Memo | April 07, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
Today marks an important step forward for the Midwest Industrial Transformation Initiative.
NRRI has officially launched a new Joint Research Alliance, IMPACT (Innovative Materials and Processing for Advanced Critical Technologies), in partnership with the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). At its core, this partnership brings national laboratory capabilities into Minnesota in a direct and applied way—paired with NRRI’s role in demonstration and real-world testing.
Over the past year, through MITI’s engagement with communities across the region, we’ve been developing a shared understanding of what it takes to accelerate industrial transformation—not just new technologies, but how those technologies take shape on the ground. IMPACT helps move that from direction to implementation, connecting research to demonstration and to the realities on the ground here in the region.
It also reflects something broader: a growing focus on where this work happens, and who is positioned to do it well. Minnesota—with our invaluable natural resources, infrastructure, workforce and commitment—is one of those places.
Read more: https://nrri.umn.edu/news/jra-impact
As always, thank you for being part of this work.
Warmly,
Jamie Beck Alexander
Director, External Affairs
Natural Resources Research Institute
University of Minnesota