Germany’s battery production research centre will be established in Münster

Today, Germany’s federal Minister for research and education, Anja Karliczek, published her decision that the new research institute for battery production will be established in Münster, with 500 million Euro of support from the federal government matched by 200 million Euro from the land North-Rhine Westphalia. This decision was of course based on the international reputation of Prof. Martin Winter and his Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology centre MEET. What finally tipped the decision for Münster instead of one of the other possible locations in Germany who had also submitted their applications - according to Minister Karliczek - was Münster’s convincing concept of making batteries greener, including the development of alternative “green” materials and efficient recycling strategies. Thus, the NRW Graduate School “grEEn” coordinated by MEET, of which we are also a partner, was one of the gemstones that made Münster shine brighter than our competitors. Given the central role that our chitosans play in many of the grEEn projects, we may have contributed ever so slightly to this decision. Clearly, the founding of this new institute under the auspices of the Fraunhofer society will bring more than just money to Münster: it will bring new jobs, new research opportunities, and new reputation. We will be happy to contribute our share, small as it is, to its success.