Innovation and sustainability drive revolution in the battery sector

As Europe moves towards a sustainable future, the battery sector is one of the areas undergoing the greatest transformation. With and active involvement in Horizon Europe projects, and already looking ahead to the next calls for submissions within this theme, INOVA+ is ready to strengthen its involvement in the ongoing revolution in the sector.

Author: Ana Costa – Head of Research & Innovation Unit,INOVA+

The Horizon Europe programme, with its significant funding allocation of 95.5 billion euros, underlines the European Commission’s commitment to tackling global challenges, including those crucial to the growth and sustainability of the battery industry.

Specifically, the Batt4EU partnership, which brings together the European Commission and industry stakeholders, aims to strengthen Europe’s position in the global battery market, pledging an impressive 925 million euros for research, development, and innovation projects. Within this framework, the sector has a lot to gain, with the 2024 calls presenting a promising opportunity for innovation and development.

Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda for the Battery Sector

The Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda, released in February by Batt4EU, points out some of the ways forward:

  1. Creating pilots and demonstrators to ensure that the results of the projects reach the larger companies in the sector;
  2. Investing in new supply chains and research into innovative raw materials to increase Europe’s autonomy;
  3. Focusing on making the manufacture and recycling of battery systems more flexible to respond to changes in this rapidly developing industry;
  4. Focus on safety and sustainability through the integration of intelligent features;
  5. Support for academia-industry co-operation, improving access to facilities and pilot lines.

Looking to the future: Horizon Europe 2024 calls

Looking to the future, INOVA+ is also actively preparing for the 2024 work programme topics within Cluster 5 – Climate, Energy and Mobility.. These calls, with submissions expected in April and September, represent a critical opportunity to advance battery technology and sustainability.

The calls aim to address the entire battery value chain, from manufacturing processes to recycling and sustainability practices, with a total budget of 117 million euros allocated to battery-related projects.

The stakes have never been higher as Europe navigates the path to energy transition and climate neutrality. With INOVA+’s track record in this and other sectors, and our proactive approach to participating in the future opportunities provided by Horizon Europe, we are positioned to make significant contributions to the battery sector.

INOVA+ takes part in pioneering projects

INOVA+’s participation in ongoing projects such as EXTENDED, SPINMATE, and iBattMan exemplifies our commitment to the sector. We are thus involved in the development of next-generation battery systems for electric vehicles and stationary applications, solid-state batteries, and advanced battery management systems (BMS), respectively.

With a central role in supporting the coordination as well as leading the communication, dissemination, exploitation, and intellectual property management (IPR) activities, INOVA+ has contributed significantly to the visibility and impact of these innovative initiatives, ensuring that the results reach the right audience and fostering affective collaboration within the European battery ecosystem.

We invite stakeholders, industry leaders and research and development institutions to collaborate with us to address the challenges and opportunities presented by Horizon Europe for the comings years. Together, we can drive innovation, promote sustainable practices, and position Europe at the forefront of the global battery industry.

For detailed information on our projects, partnership opportunities and how we plan to take advantage of the Horizon Europe programme to advance the battery sector, please, contact us.

Join us in energising Europe’s sustainable future!