Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains Programme
This £15 million programme will support the development of resilient UK based supply chains for rare earth elements. With a focus on primary (mine to magnet) and secondary (End of Life to magnet) supply chains.
About the Programme
A wide range of critical minerals are essential to the UK’s transition to Net Zero, powering technologies across transport, energy, and industry. Electric vehicles, for example, rely on cobalt, lithium, and graphite for batteries, and rare earth elements for electric motors.
The Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains (CLIMATES) programme, launched by the Department for Business and Trade, supports the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy by strengthening supply chains for these vital resources. Focusing initially on critical minerals, rare earth elements and permanent magnets, CLIMATES promotes innovation from mine to end-of-life processes.
Through collaboration, skills, investment, policy, cafes and standards, the programme helps secure a sustainable and resilient critical materials ecosystem for the UK.
CLIMATES Innovation Landscape Reports
Five reports exploring the Rare Earth Elements (REE) value chain across both primary and secondary supply routes. Each report highlights UK-led innovations, current capabilities, and emerging opportunities for growth.
The reports examine:
- Current state-of-the-art technologies in REE processing and recycling.
- Key UK organisations driving technological development and a mapping of national capability.
- Comparison of global and UK technologies and identification of collaboration opportunities.
- Required innovations for the UK to have a competitive advantage in the REE and rare earth permanent magnet (REPM) supply chains.
Download the reports below.
Programme Focus Areas
FOCUS AREA
Mining and up-stream
Novel and sustainable mining processes, separation processes, management of by-products.
FOCUS AREA
Mid-stream
Sustainable mid-stream processes, increased process efficiency to metals, sustainable routes to rare earth alloys.
FOCUS AREA
Down-stream and magnet manufacture
Sustainable manufacturing routes to high performance magnets, increased specification of high-performance magnets.
FOCUS AREA
Circular Supply Chains
Collection and sorting of REE containing products, sustainable routes for processing recovered rare earth materials.
FOCUS AREA
Materials
Novel materials for high-performance magnets, substitution for high-performance magnets.
Related Opportunities
Global Business Innovation Programme: Critical materials and midstream processing and recycling, Australia
Opens: 13/10/2025 Closes: 23/11/2025
Innovate UK is inviting ambitious innovative companies to participate in its Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP).
More Information
MSI: SME resource and energy efficiency – feasibility studies
Opens: 22/10/2025 Closes: 10/12/2025
Up to £105k grants per project to research and develop industrial digital technologies to improve resource or energy efficiencies in manufacturing.
More Information
National Materials Innovation Programme: Feasibility Studies
Opens: 03/11/2025 Closes: 17/12/2025
Up to £100k per project for advanced materials innovations in energy, healthcare, structure, durability, electronics, polymers, and metamaterials/metasurfaces.
More Information
Our Experts
Related News
30/09/2024
UK innovators receive £3.5 million to support UK Rare Earth Minerals supply chain
A project to extract rare minerals and elements from the plumes of a volcano, and another to extract them from mining waste, are among 9 innovation partnerships that have been awarded £3.5 million of funding from Innovate UK.
Read more
21/12/2023
Innovate UK’s CLIMATES programme launches opportunities
The Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains Programme (CLIMATES) has launched four Innovation Exchange Challenges.
Read more
Private Investment Report
The Circular Critical Materials Supply Chain Programme’s Private Investment Report details the overarching opportunities and challenges faced by private investors when navigating investment in the rare earth supply chain. It features insights on equity funding activity across both the global and national supply chains to create a cohesive picture of the investment landscape.
Download
Related Content
- Press release: Official government announcement: 27/02/23
- Webinar: Global expert mission on critical materials in Canada and the US dissemination event
- Webinar: Understanding the UK Supply Chain Opportunity in Materials for Permanent Magnets
- News: Findings from the Innovate UK global expert mission on critical materials
- News: EU project SCRREEN publishes report on the potential impact of critical raw materials on business continuity
- Programme: Innovation Exchange
- Sector: Driving the Electric Revolution
Sign up to our newsletter
Sign up to our newsletter to learn more about our programme and to receive latest news, events and opportunities.