New EU Project Targets Circular Economy of Batteries

Further Boosting Sustainability in Battery Research and Development

From innovative materials, improved cell designs and sustainable production processes to recycling: The European project CIRCUBATT (“Circular Economy Innovations for Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Battery Technologies”) was launched at MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster in January 2025 to further advance the circular economy of batteries. Designed to run for three years, ten partners from industry and academia join forces within the project. The European Commission (EC) funds CIRCUBATT with five million euros of the Horizon Europe program. The EC contributes 4.3 million euros and Switzerland 700,000 euros.

Further Boost Europe's Competitiveness in Global Battery Market

The project aims to further boost Europe's competitiveness in the global battery market. Smart recycling processes and the reuse of specific cell components are intended to reduce environmental impact. As a result, the team expects to reduce Europe's dependence on other countries for scarce raw materials required for battery cell production.

© Project CIRCUBATT

To achieve these aims, the partners will explore innovative business models such as Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS), in which the battery and application are decoupled, or Data-as-a-Service (DaaS). This approach enables users to access important data anytime and anywhere through a cloud-based system. The team will also develop tools powered by artificial intelligence to facilitate the analysis of sustainability-related aspects in battery manufacturing. The results will be continuously tested, validated and further developed to finally transfer them into practical applications.

Strong Cooperation Between Industry and Academia

The project is coordinated by the University of Greenwich (UK). Further academic partners supporting the project are MEET Battery Research Center (Germany), the University of Essex (UK) and the National Institute of Chemistry (Slovenia). From industry, the companies Shift Materials AS (Norway), EFESTO (France), Kopacek KG (Austria), Virtus Energy (UK), Euro Funding (Spain) and Battronics AG (Switzerland) are part of the CIRCUBATT project.