The UK government has opened applications for its £25 million ($34 million) Critical Minerals Accelerator, offering grants to help bring critical minerals extraction, processing and recycling projects to commercialization. The Critical Minerals Accelerator represents half of the £50 million ($67 million) committed under the UK’s Critical Minerals Programme, launched in June. The broader initiative aims to reduce Britain’s reliance on overseas supply chains, strengthen economic resilience and support long-term industrial growth by 2035. The accelerator is intended to support projects that strengthen the security of critical minerals supply, improve economic resilience and build domestic production capacity while advancing a more circular economy through recycling, recovery and reuse of critical minerals. The program is a key part of the UK’s strategy to meet 30% of critical mineral needs at home by 2035, as global competition for critical minerals intensifies.