Development of sustainable and design-to-cost batteries with (energy-)efficient manufacturing processes and based on advanced and safer materials (Batt4EU Partnership)
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for Development of sustainable and design-to-cost batteries with (energy-)efficient manufacturing processes and based on advanced and safer materials (Batt4EU Partnership) offering max €30.0M funding💰 Funding Details
🏆 Funding Description – HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-01
What the Grant Funds
• Research, development and demonstration of next-generation design-to-cost batteries based on:
– Lithium-ion LMFP or HLM chemistries, or
– Sodium-ion chemistries for mobility applications.
• Integration of energy- and resource-efficient manufacturing routes (e.g. dry/aqueous coating, advanced drying, fast formation, low-energy dry-room concepts).
• Pilot-scale cell production (EV-grade format) that meets the mandatory performance KPIs set in the topic text.
• Validation of at least one design-for-circularity solution (re-use, direct recycling, smart sensing, early-stage degradation quantification, etc.).
• Full Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) assessments, LCA/LCC, and socio-economic impact analyses.
• Preparation of scalable business models, exploitation and commercialisation plans, including links to potential follow-up financing (Innovation Fund, InvestEU, IPCEI, etc.).
Type of Action & Funding Rate
| Parameter | Detail |
|-----------|--------|
| Action type | Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) |
| Max EU contribution | €30 million per grant |
| Funding rate | 70 % of eligible direct costs (100 % for non-profit entities) + 25 % flat-rate indirect costs |
| Indicative # of projects | 3–4 (subject to overall call budget) |
Key Call Milestones
• Call opens: 16 Sep 2025
• Single-stage deadline: 20 Jan 2026, 17:00 CET
• Evaluation results: ≈ June 2026
• GA signature: ≈ October 2026
• Typical project duration: 36–48 months
• Expected starting TRL: 4-5 → Target TRL: 6-7 (pilot-line validation)
Eligibility Snapshot
1. Consortium of ≥3 independent legal entities from ≥3 different EU Member States or Horizon-Europe-Associated Countries.
2. Balanced partnership covering the full battery value chain (materials → cells → packs → end-of-life) plus excellence in RTOs/academia.
3. Use of EU/Associated-country materials, products & equipment unless no viable option exists (justify in the proposal).
4. Optional but encouraged participation of the European Commission’s JRC for safety testing.
5. Compliance with open science, gender equality plan, Do No Significant Harm (DNSH), ethics and other Horizon Europe general conditions.
Budget-Eligible Cost Items
• Personnel, equipment depreciation, consumables and prototypes.
• Subcontracting and financial support to third parties (if duly justified).
• Access to pilot lines, testing facilities, certification and scale-up services.
• Dissemination, exploitation & communication activities, IPR protection.
• Life-cycle, techno-economic and safety assessments.
• Travel & coordination with Batt4EU CSA and other EU initiatives.
Mandatory Horizontal Obligations
• Report KPI data to the Batt4EU Partnership.
• Cooperate with the CSA topic HORIZON-CL5-2025-D2-02-06.
• Deliver a detailed Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination of Results (PEDR) by month 6 and update annually.
• Ensure data management via an Open Research Data (ORD) approach (FAIR).
Evaluation Grid (Annex D) – Quick View
1. Excellence (0-5, weight 1): Clarity, soundness, credibly high ambition vs. state of the art.
2. Impact (0-5, weight 1.5): Credible pathways to market, business potential, EU battery ecosystem benefits, climate/CRM reduction impacts.
3. Quality & Efficiency of Implementation (0-5, weight 1): Work plan, resources, risk mitigation, consortium competence.
Thresholds: ≥4 / 5 on Impact, ≥3 / 5 on others, overall ≥10 / 15.
📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for "Development of Sustainable & Design-to-Cost Batteries" (HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-01)
1. Single Market Access
• 450+ million consumers & 23 million SMEs: Immediate addressable market for affordable EV batteries produced with LMFP/HLM or Na-ion chemistries.
• Vehicle Type Approval & UNECE R-100 harmonisation: One certification unlocks sales in 30 countries (EU+EEA+assoc.).
• OEM pull: EU carmakers (VW, Stellantis, Renault, Volvo, etc.) are under Fit-for-55 CO₂ fleet targets; a cost target of 50–75 €/kWh directly supports their compliance strategies, accelerating adoption contracts across the bloc.
2. Cross-Border Collaboration
• Mandatory TRL 6-7 pilot lines favour consortia mixing cell developers (DE, FR), materials suppliers (ES, PT, FI), equipment builders (IT, NL) and recyclers (BE, SE) – leveraging regional specialisation.
• European Battery Alliance (EBA250) & Batteries Europe/Batt4EU platforms offer matchmaking, shared IP repositories and KPI monitoring; participation boosts visibility and access to >800 stakeholders.
• Mobility corridors (TEN-T) enable real-life cross-country demo of fast-charge (20-min) capability in diverse climates (Nordic cold, Mediterranean heat).
3. EU Policy Alignment
• European Green Deal: Directly lowers transport GHGs; aligns with “Zero-Pollution” and CRM Act by reducing cobalt/nickel reliance.
• Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA): Batteries named as a strategic net-zero technology; grants can count towards the Act’s 40 % domestic manufacturing target.
• Circular Economy Action Plan & Battery Regulation (Reg. 2023/1542): Project deliverables on design-for-dismantling and SoH sensing anticipate mandatory recycled-content & state-of-health passports.
4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits
• Single REACH & SSbD framework cuts duplication in chemicals safety testing; JRC involvement offers EU-wide acceptance of data.
• EU-wide end-of-life rules (EPR, waste-battery take-back) mean circularity solutions developed once can be rolled out everywhere without national tailoring.
5. Innovation Ecosystem Access
• World-class RTOs: Access to Fraunhofer, CEA, TNO, VTT, SINTEF testbeds for dry-room efficiency, aqueous slurry coating, etc.
• Open Science Cloud & Battery Interface Genome-Materials Acceleration Platform (BIG-MAP) provide shared data lakes and AI models for accelerated materials discovery.
• Skilled workforce pipelines via Erasmus Mundus battery master programmes and EIT InnoEnergy’s Battery Academy facilitate rapid scaling.
6. Funding Synergies
• Innovation Fund (large-scale calls): Follow-on CAPEX for gigafactories achieving >25 Mt CO₂e lifetime avoidance.
• Cohesion Funds / Just Transition Mechanism: Can co-finance regional pilot lines in coal-transition regions (PL, CZ, RO).
• Connecting Europe Facility (CEF-Transport): Supports cross-border charging infrastructure that will demand the developed battery packs.
• InvestEU & European Investment Bank: Offer guarantees/loans for first-of-a-kind manufacturing plants once Horizon IA de-risks technology.
7. Scale & Impact Potential
• Economies of scale: Aggregating EU demand enables gigafactory utilisation >85 %, crucial for hitting <75 €/kWh.
• Strategic autonomy: Localised LMFP/Na-ion value chains reduce import dependence on Ni/Co & on Asian cell suppliers, supporting EU Open Strategic Autonomy goals.
• Replicability: Manufacturing process improvements (dry coating, low-energy formation) can be cloned across planned 40+ EU gigafactories (>1 TWh by 2030) multiplying climate impact.
• Job creation: Up to 90 direct jobs per GWh yearly capacity; EU-wide deployment could generate >90 000 skilled positions.
8. Practical Action Points for Proposers
1. Build a pan-European supply-chain map proving ≥70 % EU/associated sourcing to score on strategic autonomy.
2. Integrate a joint IP-management & freedom-to-operate plan reflecting cross-border co-inventorship rules.
3. Align KPIs with Batt4EU SRIA tables and upload data to the partnership’s monitoring portal.
4. Prepare a blended-finance roadmap (Horizon IA → Innovation Fund → InvestEU) showing credible CAPEX leverage factor ≥10.
5. Commit to Battery Passport data standards (Global Battery Alliance) to future-proof regulatory compliance.
> By leveraging the EU’s integrated market, harmonised regulations and dense innovation networks, applicants can accelerate time-to-market, achieve cost targets, and position Europe at the forefront of next-generation sustainable mobility batteries.
🏷️ Keywords
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