NEO Battery Materials (NBM.V) and the University of Toronto have been granted a multi-year, non-dilutive C$180,000 research investment through the "Mitacs Accelerate" program by Mitacs, a national not-for-profit organization, to advance "high-power," niobium-based lithium batteries for defense and industrial systems, NEO said in a statement on Thursday.
Defense submarines/unmanned underwater vehicles, short-range ballistic missiles, and battery backup units for AI data centres are the company's targeted end-use applications for the technology.
NEO Battery said it intends to validate all materials developed under the project by manufacturing large-format battery cells and conducting continued product testing under field-use conditions in conjunction with end-use system partners.
Shares of the company closed down 7.1% to C$0.26 on Wednesday on the TSX Venture Exchange.