Construction has begun on the Centre for Circular Production of Next Batteries and Fuel Cells (CPC) at Braunschweig University of Technology, a project aimed at advancing recycling and sustainable production processes for energy storage technologies. The new facility, located at Braunschweig Research Airport, is scheduled to begin operations in 2027.
The 3,700-square-metre CPC will host around 150 scientists focused on developing batteries and fuel cells designed for recyclability from the outset. Their work will target the recovery and reuse of raw materials such as lithium and rare metals, with recycling processes to be incorporated into product design from the start — an approach referred to as “design for recycling.”
The project is expected to cost about €73 million, with the state of Lower Saxony providing €38.6 million, the federal government €26.4 million, and Braunschweig University of Technology €8 million. The centre will sit alongside other nearby research facilities, including the Lower Saxony Research Centre for Vehicle Technology and the Fraunhofer Centre for Energy Storage and Systems (ZESS).
Prof. Arno Kwade, designated spokesperson for the CPC and head of the Battery LabFactory Braunschweig (BLB), said: “The CPC research building will be the physical embodiment of a ‘circular research factory’. We are developing experimental and digital methods for investigating function-preserving material cycles and energy-efficient recycling and production processes – a decisive contribution to Germany’s high-tech agenda and technological sovereignty.”
The CPC will also become part of the Braunschweig LabFactories for Batteries and more (BLB+), a network that pools expertise from the BLB, Fraunhofer ZESS, Clausthal University of Technology, PTB, and Leibniz University Hannover. Organisers aim to establish the BLB+ consortium among the three strongest battery research locations in Germany.
