Idaho Strategic Resources announced that one of its project proposals submitted under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Funding Opportunity 3105: Critical Material Innovation, Efficiency, and Alternatives has been selected for funding.
The project, titled “Innovative and Low-Emission Manufacturing Pathways of Mixed Rare Earth Metals from Idaho Sourced Minerals,” was awarded the maximum possible funding amount of up to $1 million under Topic Area 3: Next Generation Technologies. The DOE announced the selections on May 19 following the project’s initial proposal submission in December 2023.
The initiative brings together several Idaho-based stakeholders, including the University of Idaho, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Geological Survey, and Idaho Strategic Resources. The project is focused on advancing the exploration and extraction of Idaho-sourced rare earth elements for potential commercialization using innovative manufacturing pathways.
Topic Area 3 under the DOE funding opportunity was designed to support early-stage, high-impact technologies aimed at transforming how the United States extracts, processes, separates, recycles, and manufactures critical minerals. The projects selected were required to focus on ambitious technologies with low technology readiness levels rather than incremental improvements to existing methods.
As part of the project, Idaho Strategic Resources will identify areas within its rare earth element landholdings in central Idaho that are enriched with rare earth elements, with a focus on neodymium, praseodymium, and dysprosium. The company will work alongside the University of Idaho to collect representative samples for downstream activities, including novel separation technologies and potential metallization efforts.
Technical guidance throughout the project will be provided by Idaho National Laboratory and the Idaho Geological Survey.
The government funding will primarily support downstream work conducted by the University of Idaho as the project lead, along with technical support from Idaho National Laboratory. Idaho Strategic Resources noted that it is not required to provide a direct cost share as the industry partner.
Idaho Strategic Resources said the project aligns with the company’s proposed rare earth elements work season planned for 2026.
The company also highlighted that it controls what it describes as the largest rare earth elements land package in the United States while maintaining gold production operations in Idaho. In addition to rare earth elements and gold, the company’s exploration portfolio includes exposure to thorium, copper, and silver.
KEY QUOTES:
“There isn’t a better time to see this caliber of Idaho stakeholders coming together to champion Idaho’s substantial rare earth elements mineral endowment. Everyone involved has a vested interest in Idaho, reshoring our critical minerals industry, and stewarding this project toward success , and that type of alignment is exactly what you need when pursuing an ambitious goal.”
“I want to thank the University of Idaho for taking on the role of project lead and carrying the torch over the past 2.5 years as we waited for the Department of Energy’s decision. This project fits well within our proposed rare earth elements work season during 2026, and we are greatly looking forward to it.”
John Swallow, CEO And President, Idaho Strategic Resources
