IPCEI stands for 'Important Project of Common European Interest'. An IPCEI is a European project in a key strategic value chain that consist of several company projects from various EU Member States. An IPCEI contributes to strategic European goals such as growth, employment and competitiveness of the European Union industry and economy and which are funded by state aid.

IPCEIs make it possible to bring together knowledge, expertise, financial resources and economic actors throughout the Union, so as to overcome important market or systemic failures and societal challenges which could not otherwise be addressed. A two-part IPCEI has been implemented to promote battery production: the IPCEI on Batteries and the IPCEI European Battery Innovation (EuBatIn). Both IPCEIs have in common that their participants represent the complete value chain, from material through the cells to the battery system and the final step of recycling. At the same time, there is a high degree of networking between the companies themselves and the two IPCEIs.

IPCEI EuBatIn (European Battery Innovation)  is coordinated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy with the support of VDI/VDE-IT. The required aid approval by the EU Commission was granted in early 2021. 12 Member States and more than 40 companies are gathered under the European umbrella.

In pan-European cooperation, the European countries are enabled to derive maximum benefit from the complete battery value chain by supporting national research and innovation efforts and the industrial pilot production based on them. This requires close cooperation between companies, coordination with a view to bringing innovations to market more quickly, and the interaction of private and public sector financial instruments, which are realised in IPCEI. This is taking Europe a big step forward in clean mobility and energy, creating jobs, sustainability and competitiveness.

The project participants and their partners are concentrating their work on four workstreams: (i) Raw and advanced materials, (ii) Battery cells, (iii) Battery systems, and (iv) Recycling and sustainability.

The project of FBK

The FBK IPCEI Project aims to develop, test and optimise innovative solutions for flow batteries, focusing primarily on testing new electrolytes (non-toxic, with high redox potential, low cost and sustainable) and developing cutting-edge solutions for cells and stacks. The proposed activities will combine laboratory experiments at different scales (from materials to systems) with advanced multiphysics-multiscale models. The ultimate goal is to propose new flow storage systems that meet the cost and energy density targets set for stationary storage while increasing safety and environmental sustainability. 

In the IPCEI Project, FBK will also carry out research activities aimed at developing materials and technological solutions for next-generation batteries (in particular solid-state batteries and metal-air batteries). These technologies can be applied in various fields, from portable devices to stationary energy storage to support the electricity grid, depending on the specific technology and chemistry considered. 

The research and development activities envisaged by Fondazione Bruno Kessler's IPCEI Project are divided into three IPCEI EuBatIn Workstreams: WS1 “Raw and advanced materials”, WS2 “Battery cells” and WS3 “Battery systems”.  

 The activities carried out within WS1 concern in particular: 

• Development and testing of new electrolytes for flow batteries;

• Testing of membranes compatible with the electrolytes developed;

• Laboratory-scale characterisation of electrolytes, membranes and flow cells;

• Development of materials and testing of new generation (post-Li) electrochemical storage technologies. 

The activities carried out within WS2 concern:

• Development and validation of multiphysics-multiscale numerical models for the design and optimisation of flow battery cells and stacks;

• Design of innovative solutions for flow battery cells and stacks that optimise efficiency and reduce costs; 

• Testing of materials and cells on a scale relevant to real-world applications, evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each solution;

• Development of innovative solutions for post-Li electrochemical battery cells.

The activities carried out within WS3 concern in particular: 

• Developing models for optimising flow battery-based storage systems, including hybrid systems (e.g., supercapacitors-batteries); 

• Designing a low-cost flow battery system and testing a 50 kW / 200 kWh module based on the results of the activities carried out in WS1 and WS2; 

• Study of the integration and optimal management of hybrid storage systems consisting of flow batteries and supercapacitors, including within microgrids;

• Development of control systems for flow batteries that include advanced AI-based features. 

More information:

Starting date   | January 1st 2022

Ending date             | December 31st 2027

Duration | 60 months

Project CUP | B62C22000010001

IPCEI grant       | 6.515.000,00 EU

EuBatIn website | https://www.ipcei-batteries.eu/about-ipcei