As of: February 9, 2024, 5:30 p.m
By: Lars-Eric Nievelstein
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Battery research is literally powering the energy transition.
Germany recognized this early on and was able to secure a firm place in the market.
New millions from the climate transformation fund are now to flow into the sector.
Berlin – 155.8 million euros should flow into funding battery research in 2024.
After the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling, which withdrew around 60 billion euros from the federal budget, the government renegotiated the amount.
What remained was a fraction of the funding amount originally set for the sector.
However, particularly in battery research, the problem arises that Germany would give up a leading position.
Europe’s share of global cell production (target) |
30 percent |
|---|---|
Germany's share of trained battery researchers |
40 percent |
Growth of the German market for batteries for electromobility (2023) |
Eleven percent |
Millions from the KTF flow into battery research
After some alarming reports had appeared in the media in the past few days, according to which German battery research was missing a large part of the research funding for 2024, the Federal Office of Education and Research gave the all-clear at the request of
Ippen Media
.
Due to the KTF consolidation, only 87 percent, i.e. 135.5 euros, was available for a short time.
“The budget committee on January 18, 2024 fortunately provided additional money for battery research in the KTF,” explained a spokeswoman.
However, as things stand, financing for battery research projects that have already been approved is secured.
Now the difference to the original financial volume for 2024 is no longer even one percent.
It should be possible to make new approvals of around 70 million euros this year in addition to the projects that have already been approved and are ongoing.
However, it is not yet clear what it will look like in 2025 and beyond.
Battery research advances key technology
“Battery technology is an important key and future technology that we want to and will continue to promote,” explained the Research Ministry.
The strategy behind it is called “Battery Research Umbrella Concept”.
It is intended to lay the foundation for “excellent battery research”, for sustainable value chains and for the rapid transfer from research to application.
Battery research is running out of money – Germany is losing touch © IMAGO / Schöning
The BMBF explained that this has worked surprisingly well so far.
Countries all over the world are currently racing for pole position in battery technology, building battery factories and conducting research to make batteries even more efficient and more powerful.
For a long time, Asia was the frontrunner, but Europe followed suit and is trying to become more independent in the key battery technology.
“The goal must be to build a technologically sovereign, competitive and sustainable battery value chain,” said the BMBF – for Germany and Europe.
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The BMBF umbrella concept for battery research is intended to help achieve this goal.
It takes into account competence building, industrial application and also production.
The focus is on:
Material and component development
Process and manufacturing technology
recycling
digitalization
The concept is also intended to facilitate the transition from research to development and the subsequent transfer to application.
The desired result: More innovation from German and European industry.
At the end of this strategy - at least if it is successfully implemented - the BMBF expects it to create German and European “giga factories” with domestic machines and systems that will “define the state of the art” for decades to come.
A shortage of skilled workers threatens Germany's role in battery research
Due to the budget bottleneck caused by the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling, these plans threatened to briefly fizzle out.
Germany is currently in a good position. “Electromobility is in the crucial phase of market ramp-up,” the Tagesspiegel quoted Axel Thielmann, head of the Competence Center New Technologies at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
Over the last 15 years, the institute reports, Germany has massively expanded battery research.
Four out of ten European battery publications come from Germany, as do 40 percent of fully trained battery researchers.
The expert sees the shortage of skilled workers as a risk to the competitiveness of German companies.
The funding must not decrease either.
“By promoting battery research in recent years, knowledge in this country has been built up on a par with the Asian competition,” explained Thielmann.
Dr.
Christoph Neef, also from the Fraunhofer Institute, believes that Europe can actually achieve its goal of locating 30 percent of global cell production on European soil.
China is currently making greater efforts in battery production - and wants to establish itself in Europe.