Hosted by the National Research Council of Canada's Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre, the Critical Battery Materials Initiative will establish automated, AI-enabled platforms that can discover new critical battery materials and processes in a third of the time it takes today, contributing to the growth of the Canadian battery supply chain.
This 4-year initiative, launched in 2023, will provide funding for projects aligned with the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy to grow targeted capabilities and partnerships under our Advanced Clean Energy program. To accelerate our impact in battery mineral processing and battery materials discovery, the initiative will combine the unique platforms and expertise of the NRC's advanced materials research facility in Mississauga with grants and contributions funding for eligible academic and industrial partners.
Areas of focus
As a result of a gap identified in Canada's battery materials' midstream supply chain between critical mineral mining and battery manufacturing, the initiative will establish self-driving labs to accelerate and link discoveries in new battery materials with more economically and environmentally sustainable approaches to processing battery minerals.
Two technology areas will be developed to deliver on the initiative's objectives:
- Midstream battery minerals processing acceleration platform: Self-driving labs and machine learning approaches to develop more efficient and sustainable processing pathways to produce battery materials from raw and recycled source materials
- Battery materials acceleration platform: Self-driving labs and machine learning approaches to discover new battery materials with optimized performance, safety and sustainability characteristics
Meet the team
Jennifer Littlejohns
Program Director, Advanced Clean Energy program
Lawrence Charlebois
Manager, Critical Battery Materials Initiative
Mireille Goulet
Innovation Investment Advisor for climate and industry, National Program Office
Yaser Abu-Lebdeh
Technical Leader, battery materials innovation
Ben Yu
Technical Leader, mineral processing
Robert Black
Leading Expert, acceleration of materials discovery and process optimization
James McKinnell
Strategic Advisor, Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre
Collaborate with us
Grants and contributions funding is available through the NRC's National Program Office for eligible collaborators who offer complementary expertise. Funding may include contributions to collaborative R&D and for equipment needed for research in fundamental areas. Learn more about funded collaborative R&D programs and initiatives at the NRC.
Contact us
Lawrence Charlebois, Manager, Critical Battery Materials Initiative
CBMI general inquiries
Email: CBMI.Info.IMCB@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Business Development general inquiries:
Email: NRC.CEIBD-IEPDA.CNRC@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Targeted industries
Critical mineral processors, active materials producers, advanced materials manufacturers, battery manufacturers and recyclers, battery chemistry innovators
Related links
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