The Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) has launched a research and innovation blueprint calling for a dedicated battery partnership in the EU’s next Framework Programme, FP10.
The 58-page Battery R&I Blueprint proposes continuing the work of the BATT4EU public-private partnership beyond the present Horizon Europe programme.
BEPA argues that Europe’s strong battery research base has not translated into industrial leadership. The document points to continuing dependence on non-European supply chains, the cost advantage of Asian producers and the cancellation or postponement of planned European capacity.
It claims battery packs produced in the EU remain around 48% more expensive than those made in China, while China controls more than 90% of refining capacity for several critical battery materials.
The blueprint proposes a partnership spanning the complete value chain, from raw and advanced materials to cells, battery systems, recycling and circularity.
Its remit would include established lithium-ion technologies and a portfolio of emerging chemistries, including sodium-ion, solid-state, lithium-sulphur, redox-flow and metal-air batteries. Applications would cover road transport, aviation, maritime and rail, stationary storage, defence, robotics, electronics and medical devices.
BEPA president Michael Lippert said: “Competitiveness in battery R&I requires us to avoid fragmentation and to stay focused on impact.”
The proposed funding model divides projects into three tracks based on technology readiness. Twenty per cent of the partnership budget would support smaller, shorter “sandbox” projects intended to test technologies in less than a year.
A validation track would receive 60% of the budget and fund collaborative projects involving participants from across the value chain. The remaining 20% would support larger pre-deployment projects, including capital expenditure, to prepare technologies for industrial scale-up.
BEPA proposes a partnership board comprising the European Commission, member states and representatives from industry, SMEs, universities and research organisations. Technology, application and scale-up committees would connect battery research with enabling technologies, end users and deployment funding.
Priority areas identified for later-stage support include first-of-a-kind factories for solid-state, sodium-ion and European-developed LFP and LMFP batteries; recycling and refining plants; battery-manufacturing machinery; advanced-materials production; large-scale stationary storage; and batteries for defence and dual-use applications.
The blueprint forecasts global battery demand will increase seven-fold by 2040. It estimates Europe could require 3–6TWh of stationary battery capacity under a fully decarbonised electricity system.
BEPA said 17 countries participating in the Strategic Energy Technology Plan’s battery working group have already supported continuing a dedicated public-private battery partnership. The group’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda is due in the fourth quarter of 2026, followed by investment commitments in early 2027.
The existing BATT4EU partnership has a dedicated Horizon Europe research and innovation budget of €925 million.
