A new national research centre in Brisbane will bring industry, researchers and governments together to accelerate the development of technologies across Australia’s critical metals sector.
The Critical Metals for Critical Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) will be based at the University of Queensland’s Brisbane City campus and is expected to focus on commercialising technologies that strengthen Australia’s refining, processing and critical minerals supply chains.
Its industry-led projects are intended to help Queensland and Australia capture more value from critical mineral resources before they are exported.
The CRC will initially focus on opportunities in vanadium, with future projects expected to examine copper, rare earth elements, lithium and tellurium.
Queensland natural resources and mines minister Dale Last said the centre represented a vote of confidence in the state’s critical minerals sector.
“We have a plan to unlock the 51 critical minerals we have in our backyard and the establishment of the CRC in Queensland reflects the work we have been doing to cement the state’s reputation as a globally competitive supplier of critical minerals,” Last said.
“We are building our capability to process, refine and commercialise our critical mineral resources right here in Queensland, ensuring our state captures more value from our resources here at home.”
The CRC’s establishment follows the launch of the Queensland Government’s Delivering Queensland’s Critical Minerals Future 2026-30 strategy, which sets out plans to grow the sector and build sovereign capability across processing and refining.
It also follows the allocation of $146 million in the 2026-27 Queensland Budget to accelerate the extraction, processing and export of critical minerals, including an additional $100 million for the Queensland Investment Corporation’s Queensland Critical Minerals Fund to start new projects.
CRC chief executive officer Neville Plint said the Brisbane base would connect Queensland’s research and industry capabilities with national and international networks.
“The Brisbane Hub extends our national reach. It connects Queensland researchers and industry, nationally and internationally, and will help drive promising ideas from the lab into operation,” Plint said.
“Success means more than discovering resources. It means developing the refining technologies, skills and supply chains that capture more value in Australia and make us a trusted supplier to the world.”