Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration Program

Last updated: 12 December 2023

The Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration Program is a program administered by Natural Resources Canada that aims to advance the commercial readiness of emerging mineral processing unit operations or technologies that will support the development of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) value chains in Canada by providing raw material inputs for use in batteries and permanent magnets.
In its 2021 budget, Natural Resources Canada included 47.7 million CAD for value chain development. This program has a 10.95 million CAD budget for pilot recycling plants and demonstration.

The focus of this program is upstream processing for raw materials that can be used as inputs in selected critical mineral value chains, including efficiency value chains; economic improvements to unit operations; and health and safety considerations in those particular mineral production flowsheets.

Production of these raw materials can stem from primary (i.e., ore deposits) or secondary sources. Secondary sources include mine wastes (e.g., tailings) and recycling of electronic wastes.

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