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Niocorp Developments Ltd.

A U.S.-based mineral developer focused on the Elk Creek Critical Minerals Project in southeast Nebraska, which aims to produce niobium, scandium, and titanium from a single ore body. Niobium strengthens steel for cars and pipelines, while scandium-alloyed aluminum adds strength and corrosion resistance. The deposit was first spotted as a geological anomaly by University of Nebraska researchers in 1970, and the company, formerly known as Quantum Rare Earth Developments, renamed itself NioCorp in 2013—a blend of "niobium" and "corp."