Brought to you by Bulls N’ BearsDoug BrightMay 20, 2026 — 3:17pmCritica Limited has secured $300,000 in non-dilutive R&D funding from Western Australian government-backed sources to accelerate metallurgical studies at its massive Jupiter rare earths project near Mt Magnet in the state’s Mid West region.The cash will speed up the company’s metallurgical test work and its investigation of alternative processing options, including rare earth bioleach extraction, as it looks to reduce technical risk and refine the project’s development pathway.Critica Limited’s rare earths minerals from its Jupiter project in WA, which has received fresh WA research funding to fast-track the company’s metallurgical testwork.The funding includes $150,000 from the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia and a matching $150,000 from the Curtin University-led Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer program.The latest grant follows a steady run of technical progress at Jupiter. In February, Critica reported producing its first commercial-quality mixed rare earth carbonate at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, grading 58 per cent total rare earth oxide.‘Importantly, this is non-dilutive, government-backed funding for R&D that supports disciplined technical derisking.’Critica Limited chief executive officer Jacob DeyselThat result came from Critica’s beneficiation-derived intermediate concentrate using a conventional acid bake hydrometallurgical flowsheet. The company said it marked Jupiter’s transition from laboratory-scale validation towards a scalable, refinery-aligned product pathway.Earlier this week, the company also reported that its third run at producing a high-purity mixed rare earth oxide delivered a product containing 97.1 per cent total rare earth oxide, with strong recoveries of the key magnet rare earth oxides neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium.Those results continue to build Jupiter’s metallurgical story, and the latest WA-backed funding gives Critica extra firepower to test alternative processing routes as it advances its scoping study. Critica says the new studies will include improving mineral processing pathways and assessing whether bioleaching could open another economically significant route for extraction.Rare earths bioleaching is an eco-friendly extraction method that uses micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi and archaea, and their metabolic by-products, to dissolve and recover rare earth elements from ores and industrial waste.Its potential to offer a sustainable, lower-energy alternative to traditional chemical or acid leaching makes it a pathway worth testing.Critica Limited chief executive officer Jacob Deysel said: “We are delighted to receive MRIWA support for the Jupiter critical minerals project, which also provides strong third-party validation of the technical work underway at Jupiter. The grant will accelerate additional metallurgical testwork, including evaluating bioleaching and optimising mineral processing pathways, as we continue to progress Jupiter toward the next phase of studies.” Critica has also been building broader strategic support around Jupiter, saying its research push is backed by partnerships through Curtin and James Cook universities’ Trailblazer program.The latest bridge-building follows the company’s successful application last year to become a Tier 1 partner of the Critical Metals for Critical Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC).The collaboration is expected to support Critica’s hydrometallurgical pilot and process development programs at Jupiter.Adding to its credentials, Critica has also joined the United States Defence Industrial Base Consortium, which could open the door to future funding, strategic partnerships and procurement opportunities tied to critical minerals supply chains.In December 2025, Critica also received a $1M cash refund under the Australian Government’s R&D tax incentive program, tied to eligible innovation and metallurgical test work at Jupiter.With a commercial-quality mixed rare earth carbonate now produced, a high-purity oxide also demonstrated and more government-backed R&D support secured, Critica appears to be methodically building the technical case for Jupiter’s development.If Jupiter can keep converting its impressive technical momentum into hard development milestones, Critica may yet start attracting the attention a deposit of this scale and continuity would usually be expected to command.For the immediate future, attention will now turn to Critica’s scoping study, which it says is due by the end of June.Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.auFrom our partners