Abstract
Natural Resources Canada, through CanmetMINING has played a leadership role in advancing Canada’s critical mineral strategy. Federal science conducted under the Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration (CMRDD) program strives to advance Canada’s positioning within the upstream/midstream components of primarily the battery and magnet value chains. It focusses on both primary deposits and extracting value from secondary sources (e.g. tailings), and targets significant collaboration with industry/academia. More than thirty R&D projects have been undertaken through the initial programming, ranging from technologies for processing Canadian brines, and novel means of extracting lithium from hard rock deposits to battery and magnet recycling, tailings inventory, reprocessing options and more. Programming has been extended from March 2024 to March 2027. An overview and update of the programming, research areas and select project results will be presented.