Idaho Strategic Resources announces that one of its participating project proposals submitted to the Department of Energy under Funding Opportunity 3105: Critical Material Innovation, Efficiency, and Alternatives was selected for funding

[출처/시간] Briefing.com - 7:06 AM ET, 05/21/2026

The announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy on May 19th is a
welcomed achievement following the initial proposal submission in December of 2023.This project brings together key Idaho stakeholders such
as the University of Idaho, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Geological
Survey, and Idaho Strategic Resources to
advance the exploration and extraction of Idaho-sourced rare
earth elements for potential commercialization of rare earth metals,
using innovative and efficient manufacturing pathways. The project was submitted under Funding Opportunity
3105, Topic Area 3: Next Generation Technologies, which is focused on
early-stage, high-impact technologies aimed at transforming how the U.S. extracts processes, separates,
recycles, and manufactures critical minerals. Specifically, Topic Area 3 called
for project proposals with high ambitions
and a low technology readiness level (between 0-4) that were not based on
improvements or modifications to existing technologies or methods.Idaho Strategic's role in the project is to identify areas within Idaho Strategic's existing rare earth elements
landholdings in central Idaho that are enriched in rare earth elements with
a specific focus on neodymium, praseodymium, and dysprosium. Idaho Strategic will then work with members from the
University of Idaho to
collect a representative sample for downstream workplans including novel
separation technologies and potential metallization. Every step of the project is being supported with technical guidance from both Idaho National Laboratory and
the Idaho Geological Survey.