Battery research: Visit from Canada Delegation meets Braunschweig researchers and industry representatives at BLB

On 21 February 2024, Canadian industry representatives will be guests at the Battery LabFactory Braunschweig (BLB), a research centre of Technische Universität Braunschweig. The delegation’s research and development visit is another building block in Canada’s efforts to become a key player in the development of the global battery value chain. To this end, contacts will be made with nine German companies, including four cell manufacturers. These companies have complementary areas of expertise, so it is hoped that there will be mutual benefits in strengthening the respective national battery ecosystems.

In 2019, the Canadian government launched the “Mines to Mobility Strategy” to promote greater participation in the global battery value chain. Since then, Canada has been able to attract major investments from international battery manufacturers in the production of lithium-ion battery cells and stationary energy storage systems. Attractive to manufacturers is an existing strong base of vehicle assembly plants, a large parts manufacturing industry, an innovative engineering industry and a rich supply of critical minerals. In turn, the BLB has the opportunity to engage in direct dialogue with Canadian materials producers and to initiate international industrial projects and research collaborations.

“For an application-oriented research institution like the BLB, industrial cooperation is very attractive: here, the knowledge gained in the laboratory is transferred to the application and you have to measure yourself against real requirements. In addition, direct contacts with industry give you access to knowledge and materials that are otherwise not freely available,” says Peter Michalowski of the BLB.

The Braunschweig researchers are already planning joint research projects in the so-called “3+2 format”: In Canada, the National Research Council (NRC), research institutions and industrial partners are working together with a research institution and industrial partners in Germany. The aim of the workshop is to establish contacts and develop ideas.