Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has secured significant funding for its cutting-edge battery research initiative, as the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) greenlights a substantial investment in the new COMET K1 centre, ‘Battery4Life.’
The ambitious project, spearheaded by Christian Ellersdorfer from TU Graz’s Institute for Vehicle Safety, aims to enhance the safety, longevity, and sustainability of batteries in collaboration with international partners from academia and industry.
“We are excited about the opportunity to address the critical challenges in battery technology,” said Christian Ellersdorfer. “The ‘Battery4Life’ initiative will focus on improving battery safety across diverse applications and throughout their lifecycle.”
The FFG’s financial commitment totals approximately 6.5 million euros, bolstered by contributions from the province of Styria (2.6 million euros) and the state of Upper Austria (600,000 euros). Corporate partners, including major players in the automotive and electronics sectors, are set to invest around nine million euros over the project’s planned duration of four years.
Central to the project is the establishment of a state-of-the-art battery laboratory at TU Graz, where researchers will initially concentrate on advancing battery safety, durability, and sustainability, as indicated by the project’s name.
“We aim to leverage our previous successes in projects like ‘SafeLIB’ to further refine experimental and virtual methodologies,” explained Ellersdorfer. “Artificial intelligence will play a crucial role in optimizing these approaches within the framework of ‘Battery4Life.'”
In addition to TU Graz’s Institute for Vehicle Safety, the project will involve several other institutes within Graz University of Technology, alongside academic and research institutions from Austria, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and the United States. Corporate partners such as AVL List, Infineon, and BMW underscore the industry’s commitment to advancing battery technology.
Expressing his satisfaction with the funding approval, TU Graz Rector Horst Bischof highlighted the university’s longstanding leadership in battery research. “This support underscores our position as a hub for cutting-edge energy storage technologies,” said Bischof, noting the synergy with TU Graz’s HyCentA hydrogen research center at the Inffeld campus.
