The SMC Business Model is our definitive yet always evolving and improving multi-year plan consisting of very explicit and interrelated goals that drive Ucore’s day-to-day decisions based on the following salient objectives:

1. Continue to support the commercial development, demonstration, and deployment of IMC’s RapidSX™ REE separation technology platform.
2. Continue business and engineering development efforts towards the construction of the first SMC by H2-2024.
3. Continue to explore North American economic incentive packages in pursuit of government support for the construction of the first SMC.
4. Continue to secure multiple upstream feedstock and downstream offtake agreements for the SMCs.
5. Continue to pursue downstream REE metal, alloy, and magnet maker strategic relationships.
6. Continue to work with Louisiana Economic Development towards a first mover Louisiana SMC.
7. Continue to strengthen our relationships with LA. State, Federal and Parish governing bodies.
8. Continue with exploration, engineering, and business development work for the Bokan Project in preparation for a planned feasibility study.

Comprised of three primary initiatives:

Feed

Securing multiple US-friendly REE feedstock sources for the SMCs; on a longer-term basis and in parallel, continuing to advance the prospective HREE mine at the Bokan Project toward a feasibility study and project permitting;

Technology

Developing several strategically located SMC HREE & LREE separation plants throughout Alaska, Canada and the United States utilizing IMC’s proprietary RapidSX™ critical metals separation technology platform;

Market

North American market development and cultivation of the tiered supplier and customer base for REE products in the Western World, disrupting China’s dominance.