BACCARA – Cutting-Edge Research and Education

The International Research School for Battery Chemistry, Characterisation, Analysis, Recycling and Application (BACCARA) is tackling one of the key challenges of our time: the development of high-performance, sustainable and safe energy storage systems.

Launched on 1 July 2020 as a joint initiative of the MEET Battery Research Centre and the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Münster, BACCARA sets new standards in research and education and trains the next generation of scientists in battery technology.

Together with strong partners – the Helmholtz Institute Münster at Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Fraunhofer Institute for Battery Cell Research and Production FFB – BACCARA forms an interdisciplinary network that combines excellent research with practical training.

Passion for Research & Education

The research programme is broad and forward-looking: it ranges from materials and battery cell research through electrochemistry, molecular chemistry and catalysis to life-cycle analysis and recycling. This spectrum is complemented by theoretical chemistry and the use of modern information technologies such as data analysis, simulation and machine learning.

At BACCARA, early-career researchers benefit from the combined expertise of a strong interdisciplinary network: More than 20 professors and heads of early-career research groups from the Departments of Chemistry and Pharmacy, the MEET Battery Research Centre, the Helmholtz Institute Münster and other departments at the University of Münster are jointly shaping the research and training programme.

The first funding phase (2020–2025) saw a total of 45 PhD positions created, spread across three cohorts of 15 doctoral candidates each. This phase was funded by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia with around 9.5 million euros.

BACCARA  has secured comprehensive support for the second funding period (2025–2030): with a total budget of over 10 million euros, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia – represented by the Ministry of Culture and Science – the University of Münster and the Volkswagen subsidiary PowerCo are making a significant contribution to the project’s further development.

As part of BACCARA 2.0, outstanding talents will once again be recruited through a highly competitive selection process. A total of 51 early-career researchers will benefit from a comprehensive training programme that, in addition to excellent scientific training, also imparts skills in scientific communication as well as a wide range of key professional qualifications.