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Issue 3: July 2025

Welcome

Welcome to our July edition of the Australian Critical Minerals R&D Hub newsletter.

The year began with a Symposium in Melbourne in February charged with identifying priority technical challenges confronting the sector. This event brought together 50 representatives from industry, Universities, Government and the science agencies.

One element of the Hub’s mission is to foster research cooperation with international partners, and this has been a significant focus in recent months. Highlights include the launch of the Hub international scholarship fund and the hosting of a workshop in Perth with a visiting Korean delegation, followed by an outbound science delegation to Korea in early July.

We also hosted a conference in Canberra in June for scientists involved in the Hub-funded research projects. It was inspiring to see the progress made and the power of bringing the collective talent of the three agencies together to tackle technical challenges facing the sector. The projects are in their final year, and we look forward to sharing outcomes over coming months.

We have a busy few months ahead, so please keep an eye on our LinkedIn and website for further news on the Hub.

Lucy O’Connor, R&D Hub Manager 

International scholarships for overseas R&D

The Hub is funding scholarships for eligible researchers to undertake research or collaboration activities in selected priority countries on critical minerals.

The funding supports research aligned with the Australian Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030 and fosters innovation that addresses technical challenges in critical minerals supply chains.

Who is eligible?

  • Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents (including applicants who are Australian Citizens who are temporarily overseas).
  • Applicants must be over the age of 18 years.
  • Applicants must be employed by an employer with an Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN)

How much is available?

  • The value of the scholarship may be up to AU$10,000 per month for a maximum period of six months.
  • Funding for economy class airfares, reasonable accommodation, transportation and expenses.

When can travel occur?

Travel must occur between June 2025 and conclude by May 2026.

Which countries are included?

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA

Read the full eligibility criteria or start an application

R&D Hub Science Conference

R&D Hub group at Geoscience Australia for the Hub Science Conference

The Hub convened a conference for research project teams from the three partner agencies, CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and ANSTO.

60 scientists from across the agencies and representatives from the Critical Minerals Office gathered in Canberra at Geoscience Australia to present project findings and challenges, collaborate, problem solve and network.

Read more about the Hub Science Conference

International engagement with the Republic of Korea

Group of people posing for a photo at the CSIRO-KIGAM joint Symposium in Perth on Advancing Collaboration on Rare Earths

On 4 June, the Hub hosted a workshop in Perth with a visiting delegation from the Republic of Korea, led by the Korea institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). The workshop explored opportunities to promote technical cooperation – one of the four pillars of the Korea-Australia MOU on Critical Minerals Cooperation of April 2022.

The Perth workshop was followed by a Hub science delegation to Korea from 30 June to 5 July. The delegation included 13 representatives from the science agencies and Australian universities. The program focussed on cooperation in mid-stream processing and included meetings and tours with Korean industry, universities and a reciprocal visit to KIGAM.

The Hub also sponsored the Australia-Korea CSIRO/KIGAM Joint Symposium in Perth on 3 June which builds on a long-standing relationship between the two science institutes. The Symposium was attended by close to 80 participants and focused on rare earth collaboration.

Read more about recent international engagement with Korea

The Hub has also recently concluded an outbound delegation to the Republic of Korea, led by CSIRO's Dr Mark Pearce and Hub International Engagement Manager Carla Gonzalez Zlatar. Reflections and outcomes from the delegation to be shared shortly on the Hub website.

R&D Symposium paves the way for the future 

The Hub held an invitation-only two-day Symposium in Melbourne from 11-12 February 2025. The Symposium brought together approximately 50 leaders from the research community, industry and government.

The recommendations from this gathering are guiding the development of an R&D Action Plan that will help set a common vision for critical minerals R&D priorities over the next 5-10 years.

The Plan will align with Australia’s priorities:  unlocking our resource potential, supporting ambitions to move into downstream value chains and securing international supply chains.

Critical minerals processing patent for partner agency ANSTO

R&D Hub partner agency ANSTO have been granted a patent in Australia and several European countries for the separation, a key radioactive contaminant in critical minerals processing, actinium-227, from process liquors used in minerals extraction. “We have a lot of credibility in this area. Numerous commercial partners have already asked us to assess how this technology could be integrated into their processing,” Dr Chris Griffith said.

Updates from the field

As a part of the 'Accelerating Development of Australia's Rare Earth Elements (REE)' project, a research project funded by the Hub, the field team has been conducting visits of the final of 3 field study sites where concentrations of clay-hosted REEs have been discovered. What makes this central Australian site unique? The REE-bearing clays are exposed near the surface, giving the team the chance to sample the clays directly for laboratory analysis and test if satellite-based mapping is possible.

How does Australia become a global leader in critical minerals?

R&D Hub Manager Lucy O'Connor speaking on a panel in Brisbane thought leadership event

Critical Minerals R&D Hub Manager Lucy O'Connor spoke at the AusIMM Thought Leadership series in June on How Australia can become a global leader in critical minerals.

The webinar will be available in an online recording on 16 July.

Upcoming events for the R&D Hub