Bavaria applies to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research to be a location for “battery cell production research”

MUNICH Bavaria applies to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research to be a location for “battery cell production research”. This was decided by the Bavarian Cabinet. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will provide considerable funds for battery research in the coming years. As part of the overall “Battery Research Factory” concept, the Ministry is currently looking for a location for “battery cell production research” with a federal contribution of around EUR 500 million. Bavaria's Minister President Dr. Markus Söder: “Powerful and efficient batteries are the key to the success of e-mobility. Bavaria is an ideal location for successful production research with its technology expertise triangle of Munich, Augsburg and Bayreuth. We support the application. It is intended to give the expansion of e-mobility in Germany in a new boost.”
 
The BMBF has called on eight research institutions nationwide to apply to be a location. Among the addressees is Professor Gunther Reinhart, the Chair of Industrial Management and Assembly Technologies at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Managing Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology in Augsburg. As a top location for mechanical engineering, production and automation technology, battery cell and battery material research, Bavaria will intensively support Reinhard with preparing the proposal and providing a suitable production location. Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger: “Professor Gunther Reinhart's application is an excellent opportunity to take a leading role in battery research, a key issue for the future, with a top Bavarian location, while at the same time strengthening Bavaria's industrial partners and making Bavaria even more attractive for more companies to set up or start up in the field of battery technology.”
 
Research production is intended to develop new production concepts for battery cells and accelerate their implementation in industrial production. This also involves the suitability of new industrial cell production concepts for mass production, which incorporates and further develops existing lithium-ion technology and solid-state technology. In addition, the battery cell production research is to be used as an education and training platform for specialists.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has started the search for a location on behalf of the BMBF and called on research institutions to apply to be a location by 15 May 2019. The subject of the tender is not classical battery cell development but the development of automated production, initially of lithium-ion batteries, later of solid-state batteries. The federal government expects the state to provide a plot of land with a suitable building as the state’s participation. “Existing industrial expertise, relevant research facilities and the availability of qualified specialists make Bavaria a top technology location and a favourite with the application for the planned research factory,” says Aiwanger. Bavaria has an unbeatable expertise triangle with the TU Munich, the Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology in Augsburg and the Bavarian Centre for Battery Technology (BayBatt) at the University of Bayreuth.