Collaboration with JCU on REEs at Lolworth

ECR Minerals PLC (AIM: ECR), the gold exploration and development company focused on Australia, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with James Cook University ("JCU") in Queensland, a leading institution in science and engineering research, to further explore the potential for rare earth elements ("REE") within the Company's Lolworth Project area in Queensland (the "Lolworth Project").

Following approval of funding for the project by the Trailblazer Steering Committee, the collaboration will see JCU recruit post-doctoral researchers and PhD students to form a dedicated team. This dedicated team will focus on analysing and interpreting the mineral data from the Lolworth Project area to enhance the understanding of its REE potential.

Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, all data generated through this collaboration will be shared with ECR, further strengthening the Company's technical insights into the region. While ECR is pleased to support JCU in this important research initiative, the pace of the Company's broader technical development across the wider Lolworth Project area will continue to be driven by its own technical team and exploration priorities.

James Cook University is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution with its main campuses located in Cairns and Townsville, and one in Singapore. JCU is ranked in the world's top 300 universities by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 and also has study centres in Mount Isa, Mackay, Thursday Island and Rockhampton.

Mike Whitlow, ECR's Managing Director, said: "We are thrilled to see further validation of our projects in Queensland, in particular the Lolworth Project, through this exciting collaboration with James Cook University. This partnership, which is fully funded by JCU, not only underscores the growing interest in the Lolworth Project region, but also expands our technical understanding of a fast-emerging area of interest. Combined with our existing collaboration with the Geological Survey of Queensland, this initiative places ECR in a stronger position to potentially unlock the Lolworth Project's REE potential and create significant shareholder value."