MEET connects: Strength through Cooperation

MEET Battery Research Center is part of a wide-ranging national and international cooperation network which aims to develop sustainable batteries of the future. One important component is our intensive collaboration not only with leading experts in the field of battery research, but also with other scientific institutes in Germany, Europe and worldwide. The interdisciplinary network is augmented by our collaboration with industry and with small and medium-sized enterprises.

Within MEET Battery Research Center, and embedded in the scientific network of the University of Münster, there is a strong, interdisciplinary, international team of natural scientists and engineers all working together. Our work links over ten disciplines with researchers and industrial companies in 25 countries.

Two people in front of MEET booth
© MEET / Pia Niehues

Cooperation for Innovation and Electromobility:

  • Focus on electrolyte research: Helmholtz Institute Münster HI MS

    Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS) carries out research into new battery technologies on the basis of innovative electrolytes. The Institute is a member of the Helmholtz Association and pools the competences of three partners: Forschungszentrum Jülich, RWTH Aachen University and MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster. Researchers benefit from excellent research infrastructure at the three sites. HI MS enjoys international prestige in the fields of materials research (Forschungszentrum Jülich), lithium(-ion) batteries (MEET), and large-size cells and anion-conductive ceramics (RWTH Aachen). The researchers are jointly engaged in investigating how electricity, once generated, can be stored inexpensively, long-term, in large quantities and in the smallest possible space. Further information can be found on the website of Helmholtz Institute Münster.

    © HI MS

  • EU research initiative Battery 2030+

    “Battery 2030+”, an initiative started by the European Commission, brings together leading researchers and companies from all over Europe. The aim of “Battery 2030+” is to develop ultra-modern batteries for European industry in the future.
    The partners involved, from nine European countries, are aiming to strengthen Europe’s position in the competition to develop batteries of the future.

    Three strategic focuses in battery research

    “Battery 2030+” focuses on three main issues:

    • using artificial intelligence to speed up the search for new battery materials,
    • using networked sensors and self-healing technologies to slow down the aging process in batteries, and
    • developing sustainable methods of production and recycling.

    The core group of “Battery 2030+” consists of five universities across Europe, eight research centers, three industrial associations and one company. In Germany those involved are, in addition to the University of Münster with MEET Battery Research Center, the Forschungszentrum Jülich with Helmholtz Institute Münster, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, and the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW).

    Further information on the research initiative and all partners involved can be found on the initiative’s website.

    © Uppsala University

  • Electromobility in NRW

    Set up in 2008 by the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs, ElektroMobilität NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia) is the first point of contact for local government, companies, anyone involved in research and development, and members of the public, for all questions relating to efficient, climate-friendly mobility in North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim of the initiative is to significantly increase the share of electric vehicles in passenger and commercial transport and, to this end, it brings together in one place all the activities in the field of electromobility in NRW.

    In addition to providing comprehensive information, ElektroMobilität NRW also offers advice on funding programmes at both regional state and national levels. The initiative supports local government and companies is developing and implementing strategies for increasing electromobility. One example is the electrification of vehicle fleets. It also draws up recommendations for action for the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia. One of the things it also did was to produce the master plans for electromobility in NRW in 2009 and 2014. ElektroMobilität NRW receives funding from the EU’s European Fund for Regional Development. All of ElektroMobilität NRW’s work and services are provided free of charge. Further information can be found on the ElektroMobilität NRW website.

    © -

  • Advisory Board Battery Research Germany

    The Advisory Board Battery Research Germany advises the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) on strategic research planning on electrochemical energy storage systems independent of applications. More than 30 high-ranking representatives from industrial companies and research institutions along the supply chain of batteries are represented on the board - including Prof. Martin Winter, scientific director of MEET Battery Research Center and Helmholtz Institute Münster.

© ARTVISU Artur Krause

Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production

MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster is involved in the unique German Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB together with Fraunhofer Institute of Production Technology (IPT), other institutions within the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, the Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) of RWTH Aachen, and Forschungszentrum Jülich. The Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB , which is being set up in Münster, is designed to be a European lighthouse project for battery cell production and to bridge the gap between research and serial production, which is urgently needed. Further information can be found on the project website.

© Uni MS / MEET

The University of Münster

Our strength lies in cooperation – and this is equally true for collaboration within the University of Münster. The Battery Research Center benefits from the long years of experience which the University has in materials science and materials analytics, and it also cooperates closely with numerous collaborative partners within the University such as the Department of Information Systems, the Institute of Materials Physics, numerous institutes at the Department or Chemistry and Pharmacy, and the Center for Nanotechnology. At the University of Münster, training for the next generation of highly qualified battery researchers will be interdisciplinary in nature and will cross the boundaries between institutions and departments. In addition, we are involved in collaborations with other universities, for example in the Center of Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research.