Discover how the NRC is shaping Canada's sustainable economy
Canada's bedrock holds more than geological wonder—it holds the elemental ingredients driving the global shift to clean technology. Critical minerals are essential to our country's future economy and to our transition to net‑zero emissions. They provide the materials for the technologies that shape our world—from solar panels and wind turbines to the batteries and electronics that drive the next generation of transportation and innovation.
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is supporting this sector by advancing research and innovation that will benefit Canadians and strengthen our position in the global marketplace. By building expertise across the critical minerals value chain, the NRC is helping create jobs, boost competitiveness, and make real progress toward fighting climate change.
The NRC is contributing to the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy—a key initiative designed to grow the supply of critical minerals and strengthen domestic and global value chains. Through research and innovation, we're advancing processing, manufacturing, and recycling to build a more sustainable future.
Innovating through international collaboration
In today's interconnected world, global collaboration is not just an advantage, it's essential. The NRC supports business innovation and industry development in Canada by combining research and development, advisory services, funding and partnerships with Canadian industry and international collaborators. Recently, the NRC began supporting 8 international research and development projects focused on advancing the critical minerals sector.
The NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) plays a pivotal role in supporting Canadian small and medium-sized businesses with advisory services and funding to engage in collaborative research and innovation projects. These collaborations open access to new markets, complementary technologies and specialized expertise, helping Canadian innovators scale up, compete globally and deliver sustainable solutions at home.
Canada-Germany collaborative projects focused on battery material discovery and processing
- Three collaborative projects supported by up to $2.7 million in funding from the NRC.
- Focused on cutting-edge technologies to develop solutions that strengthen the mid-stream supply chain for lithium-ion battery materials.
- NRC IRAP is providing advisory services and funding support for the Canadian companies involved in these projects, while academic partner participation is supported through the Critical Battery Materials Initiative.
- Project partners from Germany are receiving funding support from the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
- Projects began in September 2025 and will take place over the next 3 years.
Project spotlight: Turning old batteries into tomorrow's resources
When lithium-ion batteries reach the end of their life, they often leave behind valuable materials that are difficult to recover. By combining AI with advanced recycling techniques, the AI-PAP collaboration project is optimizing how “black mass”—the mix of metals and minerals found in used batteries—is processed to recover more material with greater purity and less environmental impact.
Led by PH7 Technologies in Vancouver, together with York University, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), and German partners H.C. Starck Tungsten GmbH, Technische Universität Braunschweig, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films, this international collaboration is helping build a stronger, more sustainable battery supply chain.
Canada-UK collaborative projects focused on critical mineral technologies
- Five collaborative projects supported by up to $1.5 million in funding from NRC IRAP.
- Focused on circular solutions for critical minerals and their supply chains.
- NRC IRAP is providing advisory services and research and development funding to support the Canadian participants in these projects.
- Project partners from the UK are receiving funding support from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
- Projects began in 2024 and will take place over 3 years.
Project spotlight: Recovering precious metals from e‑waste
Every year, millions of old phones, laptops and TVs are thrown away, but the metals inside them are still valuable. Calgary-based Excir Works Corp. has partnered with the Royal Mint and WEEE Scotland in the UK on a project to turn waste into opportunity.
Building on their advanced technology to extract gold from electronic waste, the team is now expanding the process to recover a wider range of critical metals such as silver and platinum. The goal is to develop scalable, commercially viable solutions that keep these essential materials in circulation rather than in landfills.
These collaborative projects are also advancing the objectives of the NRC's Critical Battery Materials Initiative, which is hosted by experts at the NRC's Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre. This initiative is establishing automated, AI-enabled platforms that can discover new critical battery materials and processes faster than ever before, contributing to the growth of a sustainable Canadian battery materials supply chain.
Filling a critical gap in the battery materials supply chain
To keep up with the global transition to a green economy and strengthen Canadian competitiveness, the industry will need technological solutions to overcome obstacles such as the sustainable processing of critical minerals into battery-grade materials and the recycling of end-of-life batteries.
The NRC is well positioned to respond. Our longstanding and new partnerships, strong industry connections and planned investments provide an opportunity to make a difference in enabling these transitions.
Purity and protecting Canada's critical minerals supply chain
Many of today's technologies — from electric vehicles to smartphones — depend on critical minerals like lithium, cobalt and nickel. But to perform their best, these minerals must be extremely pure. Even tiny traces of other elements can shorten a battery's life, lower its capacity, or make it unsafe.
At the NRC's specialized Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry (GD-MS) facility, experts can measure purity levels with incredible precision, among the highest anywhere in the world. For more than 30 years, this ISO 17025 accredited facility has helped industries such as semiconductors, clean energy, defence and advanced materials ensure their products meet the strictest quality standards.
Recent upgrades are taking this work even further. The renewed GD-MS facility now supports research to verify where critical minerals come from and confirm their authenticity, protecting Canada's secure and sustainable supply of these vital resources.
Looking ahead
The path to net-zero depends on responsible innovation, and critical minerals are central to that journey. By driving discovery, supporting Canadian businesses, and building global partnerships, the NRC is helping Canada lead the transition toward a clean and resilient economy.
Join us to explore partnership opportunities, share ideas, or learn how NRC research can help advance your critical minerals or battery innovation. Together, we're powering a sustainable future for all Canadians.