ITHACA, NY (September 17, 2025) – REEgen was awarded a $1.1 million U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant to support commercialization of their BioREEcover system, an innovative bio-based process designed to increase access to unconventional rare earth and critical mineral feedstocks to rapidly expand U.S. critical minerals supply chains. REEgen previously won a NSF SBIR Phase I grant in 2023, which allowed them to de-risk the technology behind their biological approach.

“We are incredibly grateful for the NSF’s ongoing support for our safe and clean biological processes to recover rare earth elements and other critical minerals,” says Dr. Alexa Schmitz, co-founder and CEO of REEgen. “This grant will allow us to rapidly scale our system and construct a commercial pilot for our ‘first of a kind’, on-site rare earth recovery unit.”

REEgen’s process enables cost-effective recovery of critical minerals from a variety of feedstocks already above ground, bypassing the CAPEX-intensive and environmentally hazardous processes of conventional mining. These feedstocks include industrial by-products like ashes, slags, gypsum, and tailings, and post-consumer e-waste, to name a few. The by-products often incur a high disposal cost, which can be decreased through removal of heavy metals.

China currently dominates the rare earth and many other critical mineral supply chains, leaving U.S. buyers vulnerable. Critical minerals are essential for virtually all electronics found in daily life, automotives, and national defense systems. REEgen is working to support a secure domestic and circular supply chain in the U.S. using readily available feedstocks and turning waste into value.

With this support from the NSF, REEgen aims to begin producing rare earth products for the U.S. supply chain by early 2027.

About REEgen

REEgen Inc. is a US-based start-up founded in 2022 to advance clean processes for critical mineral recovery and production. The Company innovates by applying cutting-edge biotechnology to solve conventional mining pain points, engineering low-cost systems for sustainable production. REEgen recognizes the importance of critical minerals for energy and national security and is dedicated to promoting a circular economy. Headquartered in Ithaca, NY, USA, REEgen was spun out of Cornell University. Learn more at reegen.tech and follow on LinkedIn.

About the NSF’s Small Business Programs

America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $9 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. For more information, visit seedfund.nsf.gov.

Inquiries: media@reegen.tech

Disclaimer

The Company is currently in the research and development phase and is pre-revenue. All statements regarding the Company’s business strategy, future operations, financial position, prospects, and objectives are forward-looking and should not be relied upon as guarantees of future performance. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated include, but are not limited to, uncertainties related to research and development outcomes, regulatory approvals, market acceptance, competition, and the availability of capital.