ASX-listed explorer Critica Limited has landed a major financial win, securing a $1.05 million refund from the Australian Tax Office under the Research and Development (R&D) Tax Incentive Program. The company says the boost will be instrumental in fast-tracking metallurgical test work and drilling activities at its promising Brothers rare earths project in Western Australia’s Mid West region.
The refund strengthens Critica’s financial position, which already boasted a healthy $6 million in cash reserves at the end of December. With these additional funds, the company is pushing ahead with confidence as it progresses studies that could reshape Australia’s critical minerals landscape.
Game-Changing Test Results from Jupiter Prospect
Critica’s flagship Jupiter prospect, part of the broader Brothers project, has already returned spectacular metallurgical test results. Earlier this year, the company revealed it could upgrade the rare earths content of Jupiter’s mineralisation by an astounding 830 per cent using simple flotation techniques.
Initial tests turned a head grade of 1430 parts per million (ppm) total rare earth oxides (TREO) into a concentrate grading 13,310ppm TREO. Even more impressively, this was achieved while stripping away 94.5 per cent of the bulk material, resulting in a final product that maintained over 50 per cent rare earths recovery before further optimisation.
Critica Managing Director Philippa Leggat described the breakthrough as a major step forward.
“The metallurgical workstreams in progress are targeted to build on the outstanding initial beneficiation results we announced earlier this year,” Leggat said. “The results demonstrated the potential to upgrade representative Jupiter mineralisation by almost ten times while reducing overall material mass by approximately 95%.”
A World-Class Resource in the Making
In a significant milestone, Critica recently unveiled a maiden global mineral resource for Jupiter, confirming 1.8 billion tonnes at 1700ppm TREO. The calculation, conducted by industry leaders SRK Consulting, included a high-grade zone of 500 million tonnes at 2200ppm TREO, using a conservative 1800ppm cut-off.
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The scale and quality of the discovery have positioned Jupiter among the most exciting clay-hosted rare earths finds in Australia, a country increasingly vital to global critical minerals supply chains.
The resource’s near-surface, flat-lying nature is another advantage, allowing for potentially low-cost mining and simplified processing pathways—both key factors for fast-tracking development in today’s competitive minerals market.
Strategic Importance Grows Amid Global Shifts
Critica’s progress comes at a time of growing geopolitical tensions that are reshaping the global supply of critical minerals. Rare earth elements are vital components in the manufacture of electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and advanced defence technologies. Western nations, including Australia, are actively seeking to reduce their dependence on traditional suppliers.
In this context, the Australian Government’s R&D support acts as both a financial aid and a strategic endorsement. Critica’s efforts to establish alternative sources of rare earths could play an important role in strengthening Australia’s—and its allies’—critical minerals security.
“The R&D refund and government support validate the work we are doing to develop proprietary intellectual property around rare earths processing,” Leggat said. “Our focus is on building a project that is both economically robust and strategically important.”
Next Steps for Critica
With fresh capital in hand and strong early test results, Critica is now intensifying its focus on metallurgical optimisation and satellite drilling to expand the Jupiter footprint. Further studies are underway to refine processing routes, maximise recoveries, and unlock even more value from the Brothers project.
Critica also flagged plans to produce a mixed rare earth carbonate product, a key intermediate material sought after by manufacturers. Success in this area could position the company as an important future supplier into downstream processing hubs, both in Australia and internationally.
Management is confident that ongoing technical breakthroughs, combined with a beefed-up balance sheet, will enable Critica to accelerate its journey from exploration to potential development.
Punching Above Its Weight in the Rare Earths Race
In an increasingly crowded and competitive sector, Critica is emerging as a standout player with a compelling combination of scale, grade, simplicity, and strategic timing. The Brothers project, and particularly the Jupiter prospect, is shaping up as one of Australia’s most significant new entries into the rare earths race.
With global demand for critical minerals expected to surge in the coming decade, Critica’s progress could not be better timed.
