Scandium Canada Ltd. (TSX-V: SCD) announced it has signed a non-refundable contribution agreement of up to $6,915,478 under Natural Resources Canada’s Global Partnerships Initiative (GPI) for its Crater Lake scandium and rare earth elements project in Quebec and its proprietary Al-Sc alloys. The agreement was unveiled at PDAC 2026 by Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson and Scandium Canada CEO Guy Bourassa.
The GPI contribution, which represents 69% of the project costs, will be used to scale up the company’s patent-pending processes for beneficiation, extraction, and purification of scandium and rare earth elements through mineral processing test work and by progressing to FEL-3 engineering standards. The funding will also support applied research with end users to optimize aluminum-scandium alloy products.
This federal support unlocks immediate value for Scandium Canada's strategic partners through its Scandium+ division. Granges Powder Metallurgy (GPM), a subsidiary of Gränges Group, will integrate the company's proprietary scandium-modified AA535 and AA7075 alloys into its product offering without waiting for the Crater Lake mine to reach full production. A second partner will benefit from Scandium Canada's specialized metallurgical knowledge for recovering scandium from polymetallic deposits, a notoriously difficult process. A third partner, aligned with building non-Chinese supply chains, lays groundwork for deeper collaboration as the project matures.
CEO Guy Bourassa stated, "NRCan's support is a crucial milestone that provides non-dilutive funding through 2028, allowing our team to focus entirely on execution." Minister Hodgson emphasized, "By working with companies like Scandium Canada, we are helping deliver the minerals the world needs and the prosperity and security Canadians deserve."
The Global Partnerships Initiative, a Natural Resources Canada program, aims to strengthen domestic supply chains and advance Canada's position as a reliable supplier of critical minerals to global markets. Scandium Canada's Crater Lake project is North America's largest primary source of scandium, a critical mineral essential for lightweight alloys and advanced manufacturing.
