BATT4EU: a significant breakthrough in the attainment of a more competitive and sustainable EU battery value chain.
The European Commission and BEPA have signed the Memorandum of Understanding, signifying the launch of BATT4EU, the co-programmed partnership under Horizon Europe – the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation of the European Union – for the creation of a competitive and sustainable European industrial battery value chain.
What is BATT4EU?
BATT4EU is a public-private partnership seeking to create a world-class European research and innovation ecosystem for batteries with both stationary and mobile uses. This novel project is largely inspired by the necessity for an enduring and organised effort involving industry, research, and the public sector in order to meet the challenge of developing this ecosystem and bringing predictability to European battery stakeholders.
The core objective of BATT4EU is to create a world class innovation ecosystem in Europe by 2030, boosting a competitive, sustainable, and circular European battery value chain and to fuel the transformation towards a carbon-neutral society.
“With more than 165 members, BEPA shows that in Europe there is a great interest as well as know-how for the development of a competitive battery value chain. Thanks to BATT4EU, the European battery community will work hand in hand to prepare Europe to manufacture and commercialise by 2030 the next-generation battery technologies that will enable the rollout of the zero-emission mobility and renewable energy storage, thus directly contributing to the success of the European Green Deal,” explained Michael Lippert, Chair of BEPA.
“The partnerships with industry that are being supported in Horizon Europe are ambitious, impact-driven initiatives that respond to EU policy priorities. The BATT4EU partnership contributes directly to the goals of the European Green Deal by enabling widespread adoption of e-mobility and stationary electrical energy storage. It will also create economic growth and jobs in a circular economy by developing an innovative, competitive and sustainable battery manufacturing industry in Europe. I particularly look forward to the synergies BATT4EU will create with other partnerships to ensure maximum impact, and wish for our common success with BEPA,” continued Rosalinde van der Vlies, Director Clean Planet for DG RTD.
Putting Europe at the centre of battery technology
Batteries will play a vital role in the clean energy transition and helping the EU achieve its objective of attaining climate neutality by 2050; batteries can help to decarbonise transport and facilitate a greater assimilation of renewable energy sources in our electricity mix.
The need for batteries is growing incessantly all over the world, but, at this time, the manufacturing of batteries is still greatly concentrated in Asia: for example, less than 1% of global lithium-ion battery cells are currently produced in Europe, whereas a staggering 90% are manufactured in Asia.
It is essential that Europe catches up in this critical area and will do so by placing environmental sustainability and circularity at the centre of its battery production in order to address the aspirations of the green energy transition.
With an arsenal of €925m at their disposal, the partnership intends to boost research and innovation capacities to create a range of distinguished technologies that will result in a competitive, sustainable, and circular European battery value chain.
About the Batteries European Partnership Association
The Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) was officially launched in December 2020, and is the private-side association of BATT4EU, the Batteries European Partnership under Horizon Europe. It assembles more than 165 members representative of the different sectors of the European battery value-chain. All European battery stakeholders are invited to join BEPA in order to help in the development of a competitive, sustainable and circular battery value chain in Europe.
