Responsibilities of Director

(a) In general The Director shall be responsible for— (1) establishing dialogue with the representatives of countries and entities participating in the program to— (A) evaluate proposals submitted through national coordinators; and (B) recommend joint funding, coordinated procurement, or other joint efforts, as appropriate; (2) developing and maintaining multinational strategy and roadmaps identifying vulnerabilities, capacity gaps, and priority investment areas across emerging technology for critical mineral supply chains; (3) directing the program, which may include the Centers of Excellence established under title II, in consultation with such Federal departments and agencies as the Secretary determines relevant, to issue joint or coordinated solicitations, including calls for proposals, grant challenge programs, and co-funded initiatives, to address cross-cutting challenges, which may include— (A) identifying high-impact priorities, providing technical assistance, and identifying priority innovation, research, and development needs, and in carrying out such activities the Director shall consult with, as appropriate— (i) the White House Office of Science and Technology policy; and (ii) the Department of Energy with respect to the development of National Laboratory partnerships and identification of priority critical minerals innovation activities; (B) aligning with the capabilities, constraints, and priorities of United States financing agencies, and in carrying out such activities the Director shall consult with, as appropriate— (i) the United States International Development Finance Corporation with respect to development finance support including feasibility funding, technical assistance, debt, equity, and political risk assurance for eligible projects; (ii) the Export-Import Bank of the United States with respect to export credit and related financing for resulting United States export opportunities; and (iii) the United States Trade and Development Agency with respect to project preparation, feasibility studies, pilot projects and technical assistance; and (C) consulting with any other Federal agency that the Secretary determines is appropriate, including— (i) the National Science Foundation; (ii) the Department of Defense; (iii) the Department of Commerce; (iv) the Department of Transportation; (v) the National Security Council; (vi) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and (vii) the Department of the Treasury; (4) convening and coordinating governments of such countries, international institutions, development agencies, and trusted industry partners to align technical standards to enable interoperable technology ecosystems consistent with shared security and economic interests; (5) establishing mechanisms to aggregate and coordinate demand for critical minerals and associated technologies among domestic agencies, allied governments, and private sector entities to enhance market certainty, enable long-term offtake arrangements, and support investment in diversified and secure supply chains; (6) articulating and recommending priority project areas for execution by other relevant Federal departments and agencies; (7) serving as the recipient for unsolicited proposals for projects to be considered for inclusion in any partnership, by national, regional, and local governments and private companies; (8) coordinating safeguards and trust mechanisms, including— (A) eligibility criteria for such countries and entities; (B) establish data governance and security protocols; (C) supply chain transparency requirements; (D) protections for sensitive technologies; and (E) create monitoring, reporting and verification approaches; and (9) monitoring outcomes and reporting on progress, including metrics related to— (A) supply chain resilience; and (B) deployment timelines. (b) Contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements The Director may— (1) enter into contracts for required technical support related to partnerships with countries and entities participating in the program; and (2) make grants and enter into cooperative agreements with such countries and entities that are designated by the Secretary as eligible to receive assistance under this paragraph to increase the administrative and technical capacity of such countries and entities to facilitate the development and implementation of the partnerships. (c) Country Teams The Director is authorized to establish at United States overseas posts Country Teams with a designated lead to implement the partnerships with countries and entities participating in the program.