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Call key data
New Approaches to Develop Enhanced Safety Materials for Gen 3 Li-Ion Batteries for Mobility Applications (Batt4EU Partnership)
Call number
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02-02
deadlines
Opening
04.05.2023
Deadline
05.09.2023 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 10,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 5,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
This topic aims at developing safer materials for high-performing cells by targeted modification in main cell components, namely the cathode, anode, separator and electrolyte.
Call objectives
Solutions to common safety hazards have to be covered through a comprehensive design of new materials for at least three of following components:
- New cathode materials with no exothermal decomposition/reactions, reduced probability for oxygen and other gasses release, and preventing corrosion at current collector. Development can include the following approaches/strategies at different levels:
- Doping strategies or surface coating materials leading to more robust and effective cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI).
- Design of high-capacity cathode materials based on safer chemistries (e.g. stabilized Li-rich layered oxides, disordered rock salts, polyanionic materials…).
- Design high-voltage cathodes and high voltage anodes in order to combine them in a high energy cell, with sufficiently high operating voltage to avoid stripping/plating of lithium.
- Innovative approaches of cathode structuring to mitigate heat generation, including with toxic gas releases, in abuse conditions.
- New stable anode materials and electrode designs with non-swelling, or low degree of expansion over the whole cell lifetime, with no decomposition/exfoliation, high resistance against Li-dendrite formation – specially at high anode rate capabilities, and favouring the formation of a thermally stable, and low-resistivity SEI. Development can include the following approaches/strategies at different levels:
- Design and development of new systems with higher standard potential compared to lithium stripping/plating. (High SiOx, Si/C, etc. content).
- Surface coating materials for more robust and effective SEI.
- New approaches to minimize material/anode swelling and expansion during cycling, including anode manufacturing (polymeric and ceramic coating-based approaches, etc.) and structuring the anode-current collector interface.
- New electrolyte formulations with shear thickening, flame retardant and over-charge/discharge properties, maintained high ionic conductivity, broad electrochemical stability i.e., voltage-operating window, and high onset point for Li-dendrite formation, SEI decomposition and CEI effectiveness. Development can include the following approaches/strategies at different levels:
- (Multi-)functional additives for SEI and CEI stabilisation and protection on anode and cathode such as flame-retardant additives or solvents, ionic conductivity boosters, stability window promoters, etc.
- Addition of selective particles (i.e. oxides, etc.) to hinder mechanical abuse and improve shear thickening behaviour.
- New separator materials with flame retardant and improved ion transport capabilities, high melting point, and mechanical stability
- New binder materials with thermal, mechanical and electrochemical stability (self-healing systems), low ionic and electrical resistance, improved adhesion and cohesion, and preventing swelling and porosity reduction in electrodes.
Projects need to justify the relevance of the selected components which will be addressed and how the new materials, and the combination of them, will lead to better safety outcomes.
Plans for the exploitation and dissemination of results for proposals submitted under this topic should include a strong business case and sound exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. The exploitation plans should include preliminary plans for scalability, commercialisation, and deployment (feasibility study, business plan).
In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with the USA.
Projects may collaborate and/or contribute to the activities of the Coordination and Support Action defined under the topic HORIZON-CL5-2022-D2-01-08.
This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on the results to the European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.
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Expected results
Projects are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:
- Advanced Li-ion batteries with enhanced safety behaviour.
- Advanced materials which lead to improved cyclability (15% increase in cyclability by 2030 compared to 2019 base levels) and operational lifetime (a doubling of lifetime by 2030 compared to 2019 base levels), whilst maintaining competitive performance for cost, energy and power density with state-of-art advanced materials for Li-ion batteries.
- Improved sustainability and recyclability, in line with the recycled content, recycling efficiency and material recovery targets included in the proposed Batteries Regulation.
- A defined concept for demonstrable, highly sustainable, circular manufacturing for the selected advanced materials at Gigafactory scale, with sustainability measured in terms of recognised economic, environmental, social and ethical metrics.
- The improvement in safety has to be demonstrated at representative cell level for mobility applications by direct comparison with SOA Gen. 3 cells tested at the beginning of the project.
- A EUCAR Hazard Level of 3 or other equivalent mobility standard should be validated.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan), Belarus (Беларусь), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
other eligibility criteria
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5 by the end of the project.
For the Technology Readiness Level (TRL), the following definitions apply:
- TRL 1 — Basic principles observed
- TRL 2 — Technology concept formulated
- TRL 3 — Experimental proof of concept
- TRL 4 — Technology validated in a lab
- TRL 5 — Technology validated in a relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
- TRL 6 — Technology demonstrated in a relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
- TRL 7 — System prototype demonstration in an operational environment
- TRL 8 — System complete and qualified
- TRL 9 — Actual system proven in an operational environment (competitive manufacturing in the case of key enabling technologies, or in space)
If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 45 pages.
Call documents
HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 5, Destination 2HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 5, Destination 2(649kB)
Contact
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