On 7–8 May 2026, researchers, industry representatives and policymakers gathered in Turin for the Battery 2030+ Annual Conference at the Politecnico di Torino. The conference marked Europe’s efforts to build a robust and sustainable battery value chain – signalling a shift from individual research projects toward an integrated, pan-European ecosystem.
Silvia Bodoardo, Politecnico and Patrik Johansson, Uppsala University, opened the meeting. The message from the opening session was clear: the future is electric, but the question is who will power it. Ilka von Dalwigk from Recharge, and Fabrice Stassin from BEPA, agreed that replacing fossil fuels in Europe demands European mining and manufacturing.
- We need to scale, to speed up, and to do it all in a sustainable way, said Fabrice Stassin.
The obstacles, however, are substantial. Funding is available, but the time from application to grant is too slow, and opening new mines remains difficult. European industrial innovation – not just laboratory breakthroughs – was highlighted as the key. Scaling up requires hundreds of coordinated processes, and Europe must master them to remain globally competitive.
Fundamental research and operando studies in the spotlight
On the scientific front, Dorthe Ravnsbaek, professor at Aarhus University in Denmark, presented ground breaking research on structural disorder in battery electrodes. Her research group uses disorder as a design tool to create sustainable electrode materials for rechargeable batteries. Attendees received a crash course in operando studies of phase transitions, intercalation and redox processes – research that may open new pathways to more robust battery designs.
Dorthe Ravnbaek was followed by Kristina Edström that gave a brief presentation on the Battery 2030+ journey.
AI and digital tools are transforming the field
Simon Clark highlighted how the role of AI in battery research has changed radically since 2018. From its origins in machine learning, the field has moved toward so-called agentic AI – systems capable of planning, understanding goals and interacting with other agents. This demands well-structured data and semantic web solutions, which ties closely to the data interoperability work at the heart of the Battery 2030+ initiative.
The Roadmap – a living document
Emma Argutyan from KIT presented the Battery 2030+ Roadmap, described as a living document in continuous evolution. The roadmap spans seven thematic areas: accelerated materials discovery (MAP), the Battery Interface Genome (BIG), battery functionality including sensing and self-healing, new chemistries and technologies, manufacturing and digital twins, recycling and raw materials, and data and standards.
A clear evolution from 2023 to 2025 is visible across every area. In materials discovery, the focus has shifted from single integrated platforms toward a decentralised network of interoperable nodes across Europe, with AI as the orchestrating force. Interface research has moved from fundamental understanding toward controlled design and predictability – across all chemistries. Sustainability and recycling are no longer an afterthought, but integrated from the earliest research phase, with design-for-recycling as a guiding principle. The roadmap’s conclusion is unambiguous: Europe needs to move away from silos and toward a closed battery ecosystem.
Circular economy and manufacturing – weak links in the chain
The recycling session examined the maturity of various dismantling and material recovery technologies, ranging from direct recycling to hydro- and pyrometallurgical methods. The EU’s ambitious targets for recycling efficiency, recycled content and carbon footprint were acknowledged as challenging but achievable. Projects such as Circubatt explore business models like battery-as-a-service, while digital twins are used to improve manufacturing quality and reduce scrap rates.
Giancarlo Tronzano from Comau pointed to a sore spot: Europe conducts excellent research, largely funded by European taxpayers, but lacks an equivalent support system for manufacturing equipment. The result is that European players often purchase Chinese equipment – undermining the very supply chain independence the continent aspires to. High electricity costs were also flagged as a major competitive disadvantage for European industry.
Political momentum and major funding
Beatrice Coda from the European Commission’s DG RTD outlined the upcoming funding landscape: a proposed battery-focused budget of €1.5 billion, with strong emphasis on research, innovation and skills development. A European Electrification Action Plan is expected in 2026, and the next Framework Programme for 2028–2034 is under discussion. Horizon Europe will be structured around three pillars – excellent science, competitiveness and societal impact – with batteries as a central theme. The Commission also pledged to shorten the time from application to grant and to reduce the administrative burden for Horizon participants.
Young researchers shaping the future
The conference was further energised by early-career researchers presenting their latest work – from predicting battery ageing and developing self-healing materials, to bioinspired solutions such as using coffee residues as cathode material in lithium-sulphur batteries. The next generation of innovations is clearly in capable hands, and Battery 2030+ demonstrates that Europe can build a shared vision. Congratulations, Silvan Stuckenberg, Emanuel Glans, Natalia Kwiatek-Maroszek, Luciana Morel and Daniele Callegari. Now comes the work of making it a reality.
