Double reason to celebrate: MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster and Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS) of Forschungszentrum Jülich celebrate their anniversary. MEET Battery Research Center was launched fifteen years ago. Just five years later, Helmholtz Institute Münster was established in the direct neighborhood. Both facilities are scientifically headed by the chemist Prof. Dr Martin Winter. MEET and HI MS celebrated their 15^th and 10^th anniversaries with a ceremonial act at the Schloss Münster on July 7, 2025. Guests and congratulators included Dr Rolf-Dieter Jungk, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Aeronautics, Economics and Climate Protection Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Mona Neubaur, Prof. Dr. Andrea Kienle from the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Culture and Science as well as Münster's Lord Mayor Markus Lewe. A special highlight: the ceremonial speech by Nobel Prize winner Prof. Dr Stanley Whittingham from Binghamton University on the success story of the lithium ion battery.

Paving the Way for a European Battery Eco-System

With a team of around 150 scientists, MEET has been conducting research along the entire battery supply chain since 2010: from analytics and the development of new or improved materials to battery cell production and the recycling of energy storage systems. In 2012, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia honored MEET as a “Place of Progress” & “Germany at its Best”. MEET celebrated its first company spin-off in 2019 with the E-Lyte Innovations GmbH.

At HI MS, which was founded by Forschungszentrum Jülich, the University of Münster and RWTH Aachen University, the team of around 90 people works on the lifeblood of every battery cell, the electrolyte. Since 2015, it has received program-oriented funding from the Helmholtz Association. The focus is on national and international strategic cooperation between Helmholtz Centers and relevant universities. Next year, the employees will move into their new building in Münster.

Münster as a Hotspot for Battery Research and Development

Since the beginnings of both institutions, Münster has developed into a Battery City as a result of intensive research and strong collaborations. In addition to MEET and HI MS, other university working groups, the International Graduate School BACCARA at the University of Münster, the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB and international companies work on battery research and development in Münster. About 500 scientists conduct research on the sustainable production of battery systems on site. Local institutions such as the Technology Promotion Agency Münster and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Nord Westfalen continuously support this development.

Original Sounds of our Guests

“We can only build a competitive battery ecosystem in Germany and Europe with a strong battery research. The battery is a key technology and will be firmly anchored in our high-tech agenda in the future. With the research at MEET Battery Research Center and Helmholtz Institute Münster, the federal government funds two beacons of German battery research through project and institutional funding. In addition, there are excellent collaborations between universities, research institutions, industry and specialist training. I am delighted that MEET Battery Research Center and Helmholtz Institute Münster have formed an excellent research location, which is also providing a home for the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB.”

"Smart batteries have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Therefore, we need continuous progress in battery research – also to achieve our ambitious climate goals while remaining economically competitive. MEET at the University of Münster and Helmholtz Institute Münster of Forschungszentrum Jülich stand for cutting-edge international research 'made in North Rhine-Westphalia'. Furthermore, young researchers are trained here to become the future technology specialists that we urgently need."

“What happens here in Münster affects us all – in very concrete terms. Research at MEET Battery Research Center and Helmholtz Institute Münster ensures that batteries become more powerful, more durable and more environment-friendly. This means, for example, electric vehicles that drive further, houses that store energy efficiently – and at lower costs. This is exactly the kind of innovation we need to advance climate protection and at the same time secure jobs and added value in North Rhine-Westphalia. Our strength lies in cooperation: Universities, research institutions, industry and specialist training are perfectly combined here. This is how good research results in a very practical future – for a climate-friendly, economically strong NRW. And best of all: everyone benefits.”

“15 years of MEET Battery Research Center, 10 years of Helmholtz Institute Münster – this double anniversary represents excellent science that reaches far beyond Münster and plays a decisive role in shaping our path to a Battery City. Its success is a joint effort – and an impressive example of how research from Münster is providing stimuli for a sustainable world of tomorrow.”

“Research institutes such as MEET and HI MS are the foundation for an independent battery cell production in Europe. Through courage, passion and intensive research into the further development of the lithium ion battery, new technologies such as sodium ion, lithium metal and solid state batteries, as well as energy storage systems that do not require critical materials, we have provided decisive impulses for the energy and mobility transition and positioned ourselves as pioneers for future battery applications. We are particularly proud of our educational achievements: Over the past 15 years, MEET and HI MS have successfully supervised around 500 PhD, master and bachelor theses, thereby spawning a new generation of highly talented specialists.”