• First direct U.S. Federal Government contract for Metallium
• Focused on gallium recovery from waste streams using proprietary technology
• Phase I entails a 6-month program, faster than standard SBIR programs

Metallium Limited (ASX: MTM; OTCQX: MTMCF) has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Flash Metals Texas Inc., has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The program, titled 'Domestic Recovery of Gallium from Waste through Flash Electrothermal Chlorination', will apply Metallium's proprietary Flash Joule Heating (FJH) process to recover gallium from waste streams, including LED scrap and gallium-rich waste streams. These feedstocks also contain germanium and other valuable metals, broadening the project's strategic impact. The Phase I program will progress across five key technical workstreams: thermodynamic modelling, chlorination trials and optimisation, real-time monitoring and control development, materials characterisation and yield analysis, and technoeconomic and environmental assessment. These deliverables will de-risk the transition to Phase II and position Metallium for rapid scale-up into pilot and commercial operations. This award marks Metallium's formal entry into the DoD system and follows the proven SBIR pathway that has enabled other ASX companies to progress from Phase I to substantial multi-year, multi-million-dollar contracts. Gallium is a U.S.-designated critical material essential for defence, semiconductors, and communications, and Metallium's project provides a domestic pathway for gallium recovery while also building infrastructure to recover additional high-value metals such as germanium.

The Phase I SBIR funding of ~A$100,000 supports an initial six-month program and confirms Metallium's U.S. subsidiary as eligible for U.S. Government grant programs. Successful completion will position the Company to apply immediately for Phase II funding of up to US$1 million to advance pilot-scale deployment at Metallium's existing Chambers County site in Texas, with Phase III enabling full commercial implementation to reinforce U.S. supply chain resilience for gallium and other critical metals.