The project "Development of new materials and advanced innovative technologies for the production of lithium-ion batteries" refers to industrial research on the development of innovative battery cells based on lithium-ion technology, which is necessary to ensure the transition of the energy sector towards renewable energy sources and the decarbonization of the transport sector.

The demands of the European and global market for innovative batteries are continuously growing, and it is predicted that the amount of energy needed to store batteries will increase from around 700 GWh in 2022 to 4.7 TWh in 2030. The number of lithium battery giga-factories in Europe is continuously growing; today, there are around 25 in different countries, and the European Commission plans to increase this number to 35 by the end of 2025. Regardless IMG 7130 500of the current dominance of lithium-ion batteries in various mobile and stationary applications, the characteristics of lithium-ion batteries are still not satisfactory. This primarily refers to the energy content per mass, available power, lifetime – the number of charge and discharge cycles, and the limited operating temperature range. In addition, and no less importantly, there are safety reasons. The key performance indicators of batteries targeted by the European Commission and which this project seeks to achieve are practical energy content > 400 Wh/kg, number of charge and discharge cycles > 3000, operating temperature range: -40 to 80 °C.

Scientific research cooperation on this project includes two very important academic institutions with great scientific achievements (Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology and Ruđer Bošković Institute) and an export-oriented company (Sunceco d.o.o.) that owns intellectual property on the relevant topic. Effective cooperation between these partners is expected to significantly improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries and enable their wider integration into Croatian society and economy, as well as the export of technology to European economic entities.