BAM, HZB and HU Launch Berlin Battery Lab to Conduct Research on Sodium-Ion Battery

The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) have inaugurated the Berlin Battery Lab (BBL). At this new research platform, BAM, HZB and HU will jointly develop and test resource-efficient battery technologies with a focus on sodium-based systems. 

Together, they will develop new materials, investigate innovative cell chemistries, and produce battery prototypes. The research infrastructure of the Berlin Battery Lab is also open to external partners from science and industry and is designed to accelerate the transfer from research to application, stated BAM.

The Berlin Battery Lab will function as a central platform that strategically integrates the complementary expertise of the participating institutions. BAM will contribute with its expertise in battery safety and the development of innovative energy materials. HU is one of the leading academic research institutions in the field of sodium-ion batteries, whereas HZB provides long-standing experience in lithium-sulfur battery research and operates BESSY II, an X-ray source for studying battery-chemical processes.

At the inauguration, the Berlin Senator for Science, Health and Care, Dr. Ina Czyborra, stated, “The Berlin Battery Lab illustrates Berlin's strength in strategically bringing together top-level research and technological needs through close cooperation between three outstanding partners and a short path from research to application.”

Dr Czyborra further added, “Battery research is a key technology on the High-Tech Agenda. The Berlin Battery Lab strengthens Germany's technological sovereignty by reducing dependence on critical raw materials and increasing the resilience of key value chains. It is providing the Berlin Battery Lab with an additional EUR 2.4 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) between 2026 and 2028.”

Prof. Dr Ulrich Panne, President of BAM, said, “Many new battery technologies are being developed in Germany, but they are not reaching application quickly enough. This is exactly where the Berlin Battery Lab makes a difference. Here in Berlin, we bring together research, development and cell manufacturing while integrating safety considerations and regulatory requirements to help transfer sustainable innovations into practice.”

Prof. Dr Bernd Rech, Scientific Director of HZB, said, “At the Berlin Battery Lab, we combine our diverse competencies to accelerate development and technology transfer to industry. At HZB, we are establishing a new pouch-cell laboratory for sodium-ion batteries and providing state-of-the-art characterisation methods at BESSY II.”

With the Berlin Battery Lab, BAM, HU Berlin and HZB are creating a research environment in the German capital that systematically combines fundamental research, materials development, cell design and safety testing at a single location. This bridges an important gap on the path to industrial application. Start-ups and technology-oriented companies stand to benefit in particular: the lab is open for cooperation and aims to significantly support the development of locally produced, sustainable battery technologies, BAM stated.