Canada and UK: Critical Minerals Sustainability and Circularity

• Canadian SME applicants must:
  • Have 500 or fewer full-time employees
  • Own a differentiated and protectable technology with strong commercial potential in global markets
  • Have adequate working capital and capacity to support multi-year R&D
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• Preference may be given to SMEs that:
  • Have at least 15 employees
  • Have already commercialized at least one product
  • Generate over $500,000 in annual revenue
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• Projects must include a UK partner contributing complementary technology. UK participants must also meet separate eligibility criteria.

Projects must address one or more of the following areas:

• Enhanced Circularity in Critical Minerals
  • Improve recovery efficiency from battery systems or battery waste
  • Develop advanced systems for identification, collection, sorting, and processing of rare earth element (REE) materials from end-of-life products
• More Sustainable Use of Critical Minerals
  • Introduce novel manufacturing methods to improve circularity and sustainability
  • Reduce or substitute critical minerals through innovative technologies
• Innovations in Environmental, Societal and Governance (ESG) for Critical Minerals
  • Conduct life cycle assessments and develop sustainability models
  • Measure and account for environmental impacts such as carbon, radioactivity, and social risks
  • Enable provenance and traceability through tools like material passports and digitization systems

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