Creating a digital passport to track battery materials, optimize battery performance and life, validate recycling, and promote a new business model based on data sharing (Batt4EU Partnership)
HORIZON Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02-03
- Programme
- Cross-sectoral solutions for the climate transition
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- May 4, 2023
- Deadline
- September 19, 2023
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €8,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €8,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €8,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 1
- Keywords
- HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02-03HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02Energy storage
Description
Stakeholders engaged with the battery value chain need to be provided with accurate, reliable and immutable battery information e.g. related to ESGE (Environmental, Social, Governance & Economic) indicators and monitor thermal runaway at any stage of the value chain. Furthermore, the proposed Batteries Regulation[1] and future regulations will extend the due diligence to all domains of the battery value chain in the upcoming years. The EU Data Strategy is setting a clear architectural approach to federated data and is enabling a great opportunity to boost the EU dataspace on batteries.
The availability of shared, interoperable, and trusted data for improving recycling and second life application might promote new business, assuring workforce and transportation safety. Indicators such as SoH (State of Health), SoS (State of Safety), SoP (State of Power) should be calculated in accurate, reliable, immutable, and standardized way, based on historical data (usage profile, working temperatures, etc.) of the battery or cells.
The project is expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
- A European economic base which is stronger, more resilient, competitive and fit for the green and digital transitions, by reducing strategic dependencies for critical raw materials by promoting resource efficiency.
- A Digital Product Passport (DPP), a proper tracking and blockchain solution, DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology)-solution or an equivalent solution that allows for built-in data authenticity verification, along the value chain, with no data duplication, avoiding data manipulation assuring privacy by design, with a low power consumption and promoting data interoperability.
- A set of transparent calculation methods for the relevant battery indicators stored in the DPP, which can be used as a base to set future standards.
- A demonstration of new business models in the different parts of the battery value chains and of circular data extraction, based on data sharing.
- The improvement of the battery transportation and workforce safety.
- A solution which has been tested throughout the entire battery value chain.
- At least 2 real life pilots capable to exploit data generated by DPP and to test two of the innovative solutions proposed.
The project is also encouraged to address some of the following outcomes:
- Improvement of the recycling efficiency (more than one material).
- Promotion of sustainability and circularity through the adoption of 4R methodological approach Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle.
- Boost of the use of recycled and reusable material to reduce energy usage/CO2 footprint.
- Increase of competitiveness of the European battery industry across the value chain (from mines and refiners to cell manufacturers to cell integrators).
- Streamlined compliance with the proposed Batteries Regulation and EU federated dataspace.
The project outcomes are expected to:
- Be applicable to 3 or more use cases among the main transport or mobile applications (such as road, waterborne, airborne and rail transport, as well as non-road mobile machinery and industrial applications), with the aim to maximize the impact on the European industry.
- Also be applicable to stationary energy storage applications.
The project is expected to:
- Promote the adoption of a downstream development and implementation of a battery pack Digital Product Passport (DPP) at minimum subset design system level addressing raw materials (at least anode and cathode critical raw materials), cells and modules, which is both scalable and energy efficient.
- Be able to facilitate real-time data recognition for different indicators and at local device - even when the battery ceases to be part of the Energy Storage System (ESS).
- Consider the key performance indicators proposed by Batteries Europe or by the dedicated Partnerships, reflected in the Partnership Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), to guide the technology developments on the application segments and use cases that will be selected. Contribute to the related regulation standards.
- Engage a variety of stakeholders along the whole battery value chain to assure the continuous traceability and assure that accountability will not be lost from raw or recycled raw material to first and second life and recycling.
The suggested blockchain, DLT, or equivalent, solutions are requested to demonstrate trustworthy tracking. The project is encouraged to:
- Validate its interoperable data sharing strategy by adopting a unique battery data space and testing of interoperability between different subsystems (mobility, energy, etc.) is encouraged.
- Develop a safety second life-battery certification protocol, and hazard alerts system to assure liability and protection during transport, and second use.
- Validate new business models, capable to demonstrate improvement in remanufacturing, repurposing and recycling.
- Aim for cross-sectorial applications
- Focus on the lithium-ion battery chemistries currently on the market - or reaching the market in the short term, with the potential to quickly adapt to next-generation battery chemistries and assess its safety tracking.
Projects need to be compliant with the following EU strategy and regulations framework:
- Green Deal and in particular Circular Economy Action Plan’s Sustainable Product Initiative,
- the EU Digital strategy’s Circular Electronics Initiative and,
- the EU Data strategy,
- Upcoming regulation on Batteries.
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).
Proposals should interface with the project(s) funded under the topic DIGITAL-2021-TRUST-01-DIGIPASS “Digital Product Passport: sustainable and circular systems” and notably its activities regarding batteries. They should also establish cooperation and complementarity with the selected proposal under the topic HORIZON-CL4-2022-RESILIENCE-01-05 “Technological solutions for tracking raw material flows in complex supply chains”, which is tracking raw material flows for batteries value chains and others.
They should furthermore establish collaboration with the partnership “Battery Passport” under the Global Battery Alliance[2]. In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with the USA, Japan and South Korea.
Proposals could consider the involvement of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) whose contribution could consists of providing added value regarding various aspects of battery sustainability, performance or safety.
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.
[1] COM(2020) 798 final, Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning batteries and waste batteries, repealing Directive 2006/66/EC and amending Regulation (EU) No 2019/1020
Destination & Scope
This Destination covers thematic areas which are cross-cutting by nature and can provide key solutions for climate, energy and mobility applications. In line with the scope of cluster 5 such areas are batteries, hydrogen[1], communities and cities[2], early-stage breakthrough technologies as well as citizen engagement[3]. Although these areas are very distinct in terms of challenges, stakeholder communities and expected impacts, they have their cross-cutting nature as a unifying feature and are therefore grouped, if not addressed in other places of this work programme, under this Destination.
This Destination contributes to the following Strategic Plan’s Key Strategic Orientations (KSO):
- C: Making Europe the first digitally enabled circular, climate-neutral and sustainable economy through the transformation of its mobility, energy, construction and production systems;
- A: Promoting an open strategic autonomy[4] by leading the development of key digital, enabling and emerging technologies, sectors and value chains to accelerate and steer the digital and green transitions through human-centred technologies and innovations;
- D: Creating a more resilient, inclusive and democratic European society, prepared and responsive to threats and disasters, addressing inequalities and providing high-quality health care, and empowering all citizens to act in the green and digital transitions.
It covers the following impact areas:
- Industrial leadership in key and emerging technologies that work for people
- Affordable and clean energy
- Smart and sustainable transport
The expected impact, in line with the Strategic Plan, is to contribute to the “Clean and sustainable transition of the energy and transport sectors towards climate neutrality facilitated by innovative cross-cutting solutions”, notably through:
- Nurturing a world-class European research and innovation eco-system on batteries along the value chain based on sustainable pathways. It includes improvement of technological performance to increase application user attractiveness (in particular in terms of safety, cost, user convenience, fast charging and environmental footprint), in parallel supporting the creation of a competitive, circular, and sustainable European battery manufacturing value chain (more detailed information below).
- Nurturing the development of emerging technologies with high potential to enable zero-greenhouse gas and negative emissions in energy and transport (more detailed information below).
A competitive and sustainable European battery value chain
Batteries will enable the rollout of zero-emission mobility and renewable energy storage, contributing to the European Green Deal and supporting the UN SDGs by creating a vibrant, responsible and sustainable market. Besides climate neutrality, batteries also contribute to other UN SDGs directly and indirectly such as enabling of decentralized and off-grid energy solutions.
The strategic pathway is, on the one hand, for Europe to rapidly regain technological competitiveness in order to capture a significant market share of the new and fast-growing rechargeable battery market, and, on the other hand, to invest in longer term research on future battery technologies to establish Europe's long term technological leadership and industrial competitiveness
The Partnership “Towards a competitive European industrial battery value chain for stationary applications and e-mobility”, with as short name Batt4EU, to which all battery-related topics under this Destination will contribute, aims to establish world-leading sustainable and circular European battery value chain to drive transformation towards a carbon-neutral society.
The main impacts to be generated by topics targeting the battery value chain under this Destination are:
- Increased global competitiveness of the European battery ecosystem through generated knowledge and leading-edge technologies in battery materials, cell design, manufacturing and recycling.
- Significant contribution to the policy needs of the European Green Deal through new solutions for circularity and recycling of batteries.
- Accelerated growth of innovative, competitive and sustainable battery manufacturing industry in Europe.
- Development of sustainable and safe technologies and systems for decarbonisation of transport and stationary applications.
- Contributing to the strategic independence of Europe through investigation of alternative battery chemistries using non-critical raw materials and efficient recycling technologies.
- Increasing synergies with other partnerships and initiatives.
Emerging breakthrough technologies and climate solutions
Although the contribution of a wide range of technologies to reach climate neutrality is already foreseeable, EU R&I programming should also leave room for emerging and break-through technologies with a high potential to achieve climate neutrality. These technologies can play a significant role in reaching the EU’s goal to become climate neutral by 2050.
Relevant topics supported under this Destination complement the activities supported under Pillars I or III. They address emerging technologies that can enable the climate transition with a technology-neutral bottom-up approach. Research in this area is mostly technological in nature but should also, where relevant, be accompanied by assessments of environmental, social and economic impacts, by identification of regulatory needs, and by activities supporting the creation of value chains to build up new ecosystems of stakeholders working on breakthrough technologies.
The main expected impacts to be generated by the topic targeting breakthrough technologies and climate solutions under this Destination are:
- Emergence of unanticipated technologies enabling emerging zero-greenhouse gas and negative emissions in energy and transport;
- Development of high-risk/high return technologies to enable a transition to a net greenhouse gas neutral European economy.
[1] The bulk of activities are supported by the Institutional Partnership ‘Clean Hydrogen’.
[2] Communities and cities are mainly supported under the Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, and through the co-funded Partnership ‘Driving Urban Transition’, implemented in this work programme as a grant to identified beneficiary.
[3] Citizens engagement as well as social sciences and humanities are mainstreamed across multiple topics across various Destinations in this work programme.
[4] ‘Open strategic autonomy’ refers to the term ‘strategic autonomy while preserving an open economy’, as reflected in the conclusions of the European Council 1 – 2 October 2020.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
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).
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding.
3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes
-
Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes
-
Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual
-
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes
The funding rate is 60% of the eligible costs, except for non-profit legal entities where the funding rate is up to 100% of the total eligible costs.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes
Documents
Call documents:
Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1)
MGA
Call-specific instructions
Information on financial support to third parties (HE)
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 13. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Support & Resources
Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.
National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’).
Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.
European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.
Partner Search Services help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.
Latest Updates
The call for proposals HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02 closed on 19/09/2023. 36 proposals were submitted to the call. The breakdown per topic is:
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02-01 (IA): 12 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02-02 (RIA): 19 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02-03 (IA): 5 proposals
Following an update in topic HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02-03, the call deadline for call HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02 (all three topics) has been extended from 05/09/2023 to 19/09/2023.
The funding rate for topic HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-02-03 has been corrected in the budget table to reflect the correct percentage.
As stated in the Work Programme, in this topic the following exception applies: the funding rate is 60% of the eligible costs, except for non-profit legal entities where the funding rate is up to 100% of the total eligible costs.
To allow applicants to make the necessary adjustments, the call deadline has been extended from 05/09/2023 to 19/09/2023.
For applicants who have already submitted the proposal: please modify the budget table accordingly and resubmit your proposal.