Furthering the development of a materials acceleration platform for sustainable batteries (combining AI, big data, autonomous synthesis robotics, high throughput testing) (Batt4EU Partnership)
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-05
- Programme
- Cross-sectoral solutions for the climate transition
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- December 6, 2023
- Deadline
- April 17, 2024
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €21,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €7,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €7,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 3
- Keywords
- HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-05HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01
Description
Batteries have complex and dynamic processes taking place in and between materials and at the interfaces/interphases within a battery cell. For each new battery chemistry explored, new challenges in understanding these processes are revealed. To accelerate the finding of new materials and their combinations for both existing and future battery chemistries the iterative and fragmented trial and error approach used today needs to be replaced since it is slow and insufficient.
To accelerate the discovery of battery interfaces, materials and new sustainable concepts with high energy and/or power performance there is a need to develop a fully autonomous and chemistry neutral Materials Acceleration Platform (MAP) for battery materials and interfaces. This is a key and long-term challenge for European battery community. The aim is to integrate advanced multi-scale computational modelling, materials synthesis, characterisation and testing to perform closed-loop autonomous materials findings and interphase engineering that would accelerate by at least a factor of five the discovery of new battery chemistries with ultra-high performances.
Building upon the shared data infrastructure, standards and protocols developed in the BATTERY 2030+ initiative, this call topic addresses the need of increasing the level of autonomy in the MAP-based discovery and development process. The proposal should also cover the contribution and collaboration to the BATTERY 2030+ large scale initiative.
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes
- Develop new tools and methods for significantly accelerating the development and optimisation of battery materials and interfaces, in order to increase the competitiveness of the battery material and cell industry in Europe.
- Demonstrate a fully autonomous battery-MAP capable of integrating computational modelling, materials synthesis and characterisation of both Li-ion and beyond Li-ion chemistries.
- Scale-bridging, multi-scale battery interface models capable of integrating data from embedded sensors in the discovery and prediction process, e.g. to orchestrate proactive self-healing.
- Community wide state-of-the-art collaborative environment to access data and utilise automated workflows for integrated simulations and experiments on heterogeneous sites, e.g., exploiting European HPC architectures and Large-scale facilities in collaboration with LENS and LEAPS.
- Demonstrate a robotic system that is capable of material synthesis for inorganic, organic or hybrid compounds following standard synthesis routes via automated characterisation of intermediate and final products and autonomous decision-making.
- Deploy predictive hybrid physics- and data-driven models for the spatio-temporal evolution of battery interfaces and demonstrate inverse design of a battery material/interface.
- Infrastructure tools for secure remote data access, data analysis and predictive modelling: Develop a FAIR[1] data infrastructure for raw and curated experimental and modelling data, which can be accessed remotely and securely by relevant stakeholders, including industry. Develop the software infrastructure required to operate this platform, also with regard to future reproducibility and further exploitation of the results of the research activities. The software should provide specific access right and allow remote data access, complemented by distributed workflows using software-agnostic workflow engines that provide rapid-prototyping. Inverse materials design using hybrid physics- and data-driven battery interface genome models should also be demonstrated.
- Automated high throughput characterisation and integrated experimental and computational workflows: High throughput, multimodal operando experimental techniques using standardised battery cells and established protocols should be optimised to perform effective screening of new materials and on-line diagnosis of realistic devices. A central objective is to establish, structure, operate and dynamically refine such facility platform to harmonise, mutualise and optimise the global demand for battery characterisation. This includes automated experimental and computational workflows and modules for data acquisition and multimodal/multiscale analysis. Particular attention should be paid to battery interfaces and direct observation of interfaces under dynamic conditions, which are key to improve the performances and the lifetime of batteries.
- Autonomous synthesis robotics and orchestration software: The transition from low/no automated robotics for the synthesis of battery materials requires several R&I steps towards fully autonomous systems. Within the scope of this proposed call are partially autonomous systems following standard synthesis routes for inorganic and organic battery materials, especially also multi-step and high-temperature synthesis, that so far are challenging to automate for high throughput. AI-based orchestration and optimisation software modules and packages specifically targeting battery materials and interfaces are also central to the scope.
- Inverse design and AI-assisted scale-bridging models for multiple time- and length-scale processes: To develop scale-bridging models correctly describing the multiple mechanisms occurring at atomistic scale and the mesoscopic scale on the cell level. The new model approaches should be able to incorporate data from the advanced sensing in virtual design optimisation and battery control algorithms for SoX estimation. Sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification of the developed SoX models is also a requirement to assess the robustness of the developed models. These models should achieve a challenge based rational balance of accuracy and computational effort. They should accurately describe the actual state of the system, but also enable diagnosis and prediction, e.g., when self-healing procedures should be initiated. Multiscale Modelling approaches should be developed for the control of safety between BOL (Beginning Of Life) and EOL (End of Life) of a battery system by different uses and diagnosing the safety state of a battery system by innovative methods.
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] FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)
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
The page limit of the application is 60 pages.
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).
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
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Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes
Specific conditions
7. Specific conditions: described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Documents
Call documents:
Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
MGA
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
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Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
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Latest Updates
Call update: EVALUATION results
Published: 07/12/2022
Deadline: 18/04/2024
Available budget: EUR 92.000.000
The results of the evaluation for each topic are as follows:
|
|
D2-01-01 |
D2-01-02 |
D2-01-03 |
D2-01-04 |
D2-01-05 |
|
Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls) |
28 |
30 |
7 |
50 |
2 |
|
Number of inadmissible proposals |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Number of ineligible proposals |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
Number of above-threshold proposals |
5 |
12 |
2 |
21 |
1 |
|
Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals |
39.144.153,00 € |
81.714.308,00 € |
9.196.860,00 € |
51.607.568,00 € |
19.949.437,00 € |
|
Number of proposals retained for funding |
2 |
3 |
1 |
12 |
1 |
|
Number of proposals in the reserve list |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
Funding threshold |
14.5 |
13.5 |
14 |
13 |
13.5 |
|
Ranking distribution for proposals above the evaluation thresholds |
|||||
|
Number of proposals with scores lower or equal to 15 and higher or equal to 14 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
9 |
0 |
|
Number of proposals with scores lower than 14 and higher or equal to 13 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
|
Number of proposals with scores lower than 13 and higher or equal to 10 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
Summary of observer report:
“The evaluation of the 117 eligible proposals submitted in response to the call HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01 was performed between 13 May and 21 June 2024. The call covered 5 topics, 4 of them of the RIA type (Research and Innovation Action) with a conventional funding scheme, and one topic of the IA type (Innovation Action) with Lump Sum funding. Each of these proposals was evaluated entirely remotely by a panel of 5 independent evaluators.
The evaluation was thorough, performed in full transparency and impartiality, with fair and equal treatment of all proposals, and in full compliance with all applicable general Horizon Europe rules as well as with specific rules for the call. The evaluation was performed with the external participation of 71 evaluators, 13 rapporteurs, and 8 quality checkers moderated by 12 project officers, under the supervision and permanent guidance of 6 Senior Project Managers and a call coordination team. All participants demonstrated a high degree of dedication and professionalism.
The whole process was observed, remotely, by an independent observer who was given full and unfettered access to all relevant aspects of the call and evaluation process to enable him to complete his task.
The end result of the evaluation is a rank list of proposals for each topic, i.e. each budget line, agreed by all participants, where the best proposals selected for funding, within the available budget limits, have been clearly identified.”
We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.
For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.
The call for proposals HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01 closed on 18/04/2023. 119 proposals were submitted to the call. The breakdown per topic is:
HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-01 (RIA): 28 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-02 (IA-LS): 30 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-03 (RIA): 7 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-04 (RIA): 52 proposals
HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-05 (RIA): 2 proposals
Important update:
Please note that the submission system for RIA topics of this call (topics ending 01, 03, 04 and 05) has been modified to allow submission of a technical annex without any size limit (versus 45 pages before); this will allow applicants to topic HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-05 to submit proposals with up to 60 pages as foreseen in the Work Programme for this topic. As a result there will be no warning from the submission system in case the annex is more than 45 pages (topics 01, 03 and 04) or more than 60 pages (topic 05), therefore please ensure you submit a proposal with the correct length. Excess pages will be disregarded during the evaluation of proposals.
UPDATE: the submission system should now allow technical annexes of 60 pages for this topic. Editing and creating proposals can be resumed.
Please note that the submission system has in fact been modified to allow submission of a technical annex without any size limit. As a result there will be no warning from the submission system in case the annex is more than 60 pages for this topic (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-05), therefore please ensure you submit a proposal with the correct length. Excess pages will be disregarded during the evaluation of proposals.
Please note that the template annex available in the submission system has been updated, only to mention the exception of 60 pages for this topic.
WARNING: Please note that the Work Programme allows a page limit of 60 for the annexes in this topic (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-05).
The current submission system still behaves according to the default limit of 45 pages. A fix is being devised.
In the meantime, please refrain from creating or updating a proposal in the submission system. A new notice will follow once this is fixed.