On November 23rd, the European Commission kicked off the 2023 call for the Innovation Fund, boasting a ground-breaking budget of €4 billion dedicated to propelling innovative decarbonization technologies to new heights.
What are the Topics and requirements?
Below you can find the list of the five categories of projects to be funded under this scheme, all of which include batteries (open to the maritime, road transport and buildings sectors) and energy storage within the scope.
🗓️ Important Dates:
About the Innovation Fund
With an estimated revenue of €40 billion from the EU Emissions Trading System between 2020 and 2030, the Innovation Fund aims to create financial incentives for companies and public authorities to invest in cutting-edge low-carbon technologies and support Europe’s transition to climate neutrality. The Innovation Fund has already awarded about €6.5 billion to more than 100 innovative projects through its previous calls for proposals.
For more information, including the funded projects and national contact points, please visit the website of the Innovation Fund
Ready to make a lasting impact? This is your opportunity to shape the future of decarbonization.
On 22-23 November the Battery Technologies Summit will bring together the pioneers of the industry with innovative minds and to convey the latest technological developments and international perspectives.
The event is organized by the BEPA member PilDER, the Turkey-based battery manufacturers and suppliers association. As a result of the media partnership between BEPA and The Battery Technology Summit, BEPA members can get a discount of 30% (x2) or 15% (x50) on their tickets on first come first served basis. Please email us for more information.
On Friday 10 October, The European Commission adopted the revised Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan. The SET Plan is crucial in supporting research and innovation for the development of clean, secure and efficient energy technologies. The SET Plan paved the way for the BATT4EU co-programmed partnership under Horizon Europe.
The revised SET plan will take a task force approach to address the following cross-cutting issues:
Today the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee has cast its vote on the draft Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). This act , aims to increase EU strategic autonomy by stimulating the domestic production of battery raw materials through raw materials extraction, processing, and recycling in Europe.
The Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) welcomes the outcomes of this vote as a great opportunity for the battery raw material sector in Europe. The fast tracking of lengthy and costly permitting processes and barriers can encourage more investment in exploiting the raw materials available in Europe. Sustainability and circularity are just as much of a focus, with the agreed recycling targets, the regulation is set to maximize the use of existing raw materials and reduce the need for new materials.
While BATT4EU projects may not target mining directly, they provide support for the raw materials sector by funding research to boost European processing capacity, create a circular value chain, and reducing the amount of critical raw materials needed for batteries. However, more research funding is needed for Horizon Europe battery projects to ensure a competitive European battery value chain.
“We would welcome the inclusion of raw materials projects under the Innovation Fund as proposed by T&E, as it will provide a clear pathway for our Horizon Europe projects on Raw Materials and help them to upscale their research results, which will boost processing capabilities.”- Wouter IJzermans, Executive Director, BEPA
The ongoing BATT4EU projects are contributing to the targets of the CRMA as they cover the raw materials supply chain; from processing to recycling. Among the BATT4EU projects; there are 11; ENICON, LiCORNE, RELiEF, RESPECT, FREE4LIB, RHINOCEROS, GR4FITE3, SOURCE, BatteReverse, REBELION, RECIRCULATE and REINFORCE which aim to bring new and advanced technologies to improve recycling efficiency and processing capabilities.
The long awaited Batteries Regulation has been revealed earlier this summer, and went into effect 17 August. The regulation applies to all economic operators of every type of battery placed within the EU market. Economic operators is defined as all manufacturers, producers, importers, and distributors. The regulation applies to all batteries in the EU, regardless of the origin of the battery or its materials, including portable batteries, electric vehicle batteries, and LMT (Light means of transport) batteries.
Recycled content targets
End of life
Manufacturing liability and labelling
Safety requirements
End user liability
The batteries regulation brings clear targets on recycled material, and what information is needed to be made available on batteries within the EU. It also provided clear guideline for due diligence and user responsibility throughout the lifetime of the battery. Many of the requirements and targets are set for several years from now, allowing economic operators to analyse and integrate the necessary changes into the their operations. On the other hand there are still many vague targets, or promises to introduce new requirements at a later date through delegated acts. Much will depend upon these, and therefore the batteries regulation is still far from complete. As the publication from DG RTD illustrates, BATT4EU is already actively involved in the research and innovation aspects to tackle these requirements, with several funded projects working towards things like the battery passport, recycling, LCA, and functions of BMS to provide necessary information, to name a few. BEPA will continue to monitor the updates of the regulation, and continue to identify and support the battery R&I needs to meet the goals of the batteries regulation and the European Green Deal.
On Thursday, 16 November 2023, from 14:00 to 17:00, BEPA organises a match-making event in Bordeaux, France to create collaborations for the Horizon Europe battery calls, and present the calls for 2024.
During this event, some BEPA experts will explore the open calls linked to batteries in the 2024 Work-Programme. After that, several members
During this event, some BEPA experts will present the open calls linked to batteries in the 2024 Work-Programme. After that, several members of BEPA will be granted 5 minutes to pitch their project ideas or innovative solutions linked to a specific call for proposal, the best pitch will receive “The best pitch Award”. Following the pitches, we will see a roundtable of networking for each 2024 topic, led by a group leader, which correspond to the 7 Horizon calls of 2024.
Check the list of the 2024 Batt4EU calls, here or find below the 7 topics you may choose from:
Please, find below some guidelines regarding the pitching slot:
To participate to the event and try to find your perfect match for a Horizon Europe battery call please register via this link: REGISTER TO THE EVENT (BEPA MEMBERS ONLY)
ARE YOU NOT A MEMBER OF BEPA? NO PROBLEM, REGISTER TO THE EVENT HERE
FIND PARTNERS AND CREATE SYNERGIES ON OUR MATCH-MAKING PLATFORM!
This event will set the scene for future consortiums on battery projects. Pitch your idea and find synergies for collaboration.
India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) are commemorating World Energy Storage Day (WESD) on 22nd September 2023 and are organizing the 7th edition of World Energy Storage Day (WESD), a virtual Global Open Conference.
WESD is a global movement initiated by various apex trade bodies working to promote and adopt Energy Storage, E-Mobility & Green Hydrogen technologies for a sustainable future. This event is one of the largest open global events in this domain.
With a rising focus on the effective integration of renewable energy, the importance of electric vehicle and reliable, resilient energy supply, energy storage is becoming an increasingly important tool in the electricity ecosystem.
With Energy Storage rising to the forefront of industry developments, World Energy Storage Day is commemorated on 22nd September every year by various global industry stakeholders, policy makers, think tanks and associations to acknowledge its importance across the globe.