Critical Minerals Institute Announces New Masterclass: The Critical Mineral that Literally Defines Time – Cesium

TORONTO, ONTARIO – February 18, 2026 – The Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) today announced it will host a live virtual Masterclass titled “The Critical Mineral that Literally Defines Time – Cesium,” on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. EST.

The one-hour CMI Masterclass will examine one of the rarest and most strategically misunderstood elements in the periodic table. The international standard for the second is based on the vibration frequency of the cesium-133 atom—9,192,631,770 oscillations corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine energy levels in its ground state.

Every atomic clock underpinning GPS systems, telecommunications networks, high-frequency trading, military navigation, and global time synchronization relies on this property. Without cesium atomic clocks, GPS satellites would drift by kilometers within a day, financial markets could not timestamp trades with nanosecond precision, and synchronized global data networks would destabilize.

From a critical minerals perspective, this is extraordinary: cesium is geologically rare, produced from only a handful of deposits globally, yet it defines the unit by which the world measures time.

Featured Speakers

The CMI Masterclass will feature:

• Austin Devaney, Founder and CEO of Li7Charged and Advisor to Grid Metals. Mr. Devaney previously led the cesium business of global leader Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB | FWB: AMC), and prior to that, managed sales to industrial users of cesium.
• Robin Dunbar, President, CEO, and Director of Grid Metals Corp. (TSXV: GRDM | OTCQB: MSMGF), advancing cesium exploration at its Falcon West project.
• Brandon Smith, Chief Development Officer of Grid Metals Corp. (TSXV: GRDM | OTCQB: MSMGF), advancing cesium exploration at its Falcon West project.

The session will be hosted and moderated by Christopher Ecclestone of Hallgarten + Company, author of the recent research report “Cesium (Cs): Breaking the Chinese Stranglehold.”

Strategic Relevance: Breaking the Bottleneck

Cesium’s supply chain is highly concentrated, and processing capacity remains limited. Grid Metals is advancing its emerging Falcon West cesium discovery in southeastern Manitoba which sits 500 m off the TransCanada highway.  The company is looking to advance its project to development and strengthen North American supply-chain positioning.

“Cesium is not just another specialty metal,” said Robin Dunbar. “It is foundational to modern infrastructure—from precision timing to advanced electronics. Our focus is to responsibly advance cesium exploration while aligning with secure processing pathways that strengthen North American supply resilience.”

Christopher Ecclestone commented, “Cesium is a textbook example of a strategically vital mineral with limited global supply. As geopolitical fragmentation intensifies, the ability to diversify production and processing away from concentrated control becomes a matter of economic and national security.”

The Masterclass will examine cesium’s unique physical properties, global supply concentration, processing bottlenecks, specialty applications, and the broader geopolitical implications for Western economies seeking to reduce dependence on concentrated supply chains.

CMI Event Details

Title: CMI Masterclass – The Critical Mineral that Literally Defines Time – Cesium
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 25, 2026 · 11:00 a.m. EST
Format: Live virtual event (recording available to registrants)
Registration: Complimentary for CMI members · CAD $25 for non-members
Registration link: Click here

About Grid Metals Corp.

Grid Metals is focused on exploration and development in southeastern Manitoba with four key projects in the region:

1. The Falcon West Property (Li-Cs) is located 110 km east of Winnipeg along the Trans-Canada highway and contains highly anomalous cesium and lithium values in LCT pegmatite including the Lucy South pegmatite dyke, the focus of Grid’s current exploration efforts.
2. The Makwa Property (Ni-Cu-PGM-Co), which is subject to an Option and Joint Venture Agreement with Teck Resources Limited (“Teck”). Teck can earn up to a 70% interest in Makwa by incurring a total of CAD$17.3 million, comprising project expenditures (CAD$15.7 million) and cash payments or equity participation (CAD$1.6 million) with Grid. Makwa is located on the south arm of the Bird River Greenstone Belt.
3. The Mayville Property (Cu-Ni) is located on the north arm of the Bird River Greenstone Belt. The property is owned subject to a minority interest. The project contains a NI 43-101 compliant open pit resource of 32 million tonnes grading 0.61% CuEq.
4. The Donner Property (Li-Cs) is adjacent to the Mayville Property, and Grid owns 75% of the project. The project contains a NI 43-101 compliant resource of 6.8 million tonnes grading 1.39% Li₂O.

All of the Company’s southeastern Manitoba projects are located on the ancestral lands of the Sagkeeng First Nation with whom the Company maintains an Exploration Agreement.

About the Critical Minerals Institute (CMI)
The Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) is a global brain trust for the critical minerals economy, serving as a hub that connects companies, capital markets, and policymakers. Through CMI Masterclasses, the weekly Critical Minerals Report (CMR), bespoke research, and board-level advisory services, CMI delivers actionable intelligence spanning exploration finance, supply chains, and geopolitics.

CMI also convenes the flagship Annual Critical Minerals Institute Summit, a global gathering of government leaders, institutional investors, and industry executives. The next event, CMI Summit V, themed “The New Critical Minerals Economy,” will take place May 13–14, 2026, in Toronto, Canada.

For more information, visit CriticalMineralsInstitute.com or contact CMI Executive Director Tracy Hughes at +1 647-289-7714 or [email protected]. Or for CMI Membership Services, contact the CMI Membership Director Chrissy Hessam at [email protected].