Cutting-edge research inspires curiosity: State Secretary Storsberg visits MEET and HI MS
On Wednesday, March 7, Annette Storsberg, State Secretary of the Ministry for Culture and Science in North Rhine-Westphalia, visited the MEET Battery Research Centre (Münster University, WWU) and the Helmholtz-Institute Münster (HI MS, IEK-12, Forschungszentrum Juelich). “High performant batteries function as bridge for new mobility and an electrical power supply, which both have a strong influence on our industrial future. Research centers like MEET and HI MS in Münster are key to reach this future,” said Annette Storsberg. “Here, scientists work on the storage solutions of the future.”
The State Secretary was welcomed by Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels, rector of the WWU, Prof. Dr. Martin Winter, scientific director of MEET and founding director of the HI MS, Dr. Adrienne Hammerschmidt, administrative director of MEET and Dr. Falko Schappacher, managing director of MEET. Dr. Schappacher gave a short overview describing the developments at MEET since its founding in 2009. Within only a few years’ time, the Battery Research Center grew into a research institute with remarkable know-how and infrastructure. Furthermore, it gained a strong neighbour and partner in 2015, the Helmholtz-Institute Münster “Ionics and Energy Storage.” This collaboration aims at optimizing a central component for electrochemical energy storage: the electrolyte.
An exciting history is fine, but stimulating present times are even better. Insights into current projects, which aim to increase the performance of batteries, were given. Such endeavours, from combining high-energy anodes with solid state-, ceramic-, polymer- or hybrid electrolytes, as is done in the project “MEET Hi-EnD II,” to develop flexible upscaling concepts for the whole value chain in lithium ion battery production, as is done in the project “Fab4Lib,” all involve innovative research ideas and promising scientific approaches. So many ideas and approach-es, indeed, that besides the current projects, there is a bunch of planned projects, that are ready to take off.
