It’s now official: Germany to stop funding battery research

The Competence Network for Lithium-Ion Batteries (Klib) warned last week that battery funding could not only be scaled back, but cut. The association argued with the current draft budget for 2025 suggested that the German ministry only planned to fund ongoing projects. It turns out, the network was right.
According to the network, it will seriously threaten the competitiveness of German industries.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) confirmed to elective that “it is unlikely that any new battery research projects can be launched with the remaining funds […] from 2025.” Although the Climate and Transformation Fund is set up until 2028, it will only support ongoing projects or new projects that start this year. A spokeswoman for the ministry put said: “In the current 2024 budget year, new incentives can still be provided in the field of battery research, which will continue until 2028. The funds required for the years 2025 to 2028 are included in the budget.” The BMBF is also currently examining “further, pragmatic options for strengthening battery research activities.”

The Klib had seen this coming. It based its fears primarily on the federal government’s budget plans: this year, the industry has already had to cope with a reduced budget of 155 million euros. The funding pot is divided into 135 million euros for ongoing projects and 20 million euros for new approvals. In connection with the new approvals, follow-up amounts are also reserved for the coming years, as research projects generally continue for several years rather than just one. These reserved sums in future budgets are called commitment appropriations.

Although the 2025 draft budget includes 118 million euros for battery research, unlike the 2024 budget, it no longer contains any commitment appropriations that could guarantee the continuation of new projects. Klib’s conclusion: the €118 million will be used for funding ongoing projects, new projects will no longer be approved. It now appears that the association was right.

The association fears the cancellation of the research and development pipeline will dry up the source of innovations that lead to industrial applications. Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) is also alarmed. “While the German government was still talking about making Germany a centre for battery cells a year ago, research funding will be completely eliminated in the future.” The planned cuts are “exemplary of the contradiction between the goals set and the actual policy.”

Martin Winter from the MEET Battery Research Centre at the University of Münster said: “All other countries are ramping up their funding because it is now a matter of implementation.” Countries such as China and South Korea were investing massively in the technology, which is central to purposes such as electric mobility or the storage of renewable energy.

Quelle: Info per E-Mail, spiegel.de, table.media (all in German)