The EU battery ecosystem is entering a crucial phase, where research and innovation, industrial scale-up and policy making need to align. Europe’s battery ambitions can not only be met through scientific breakthroughs but highly depend on turning advanced materials, smart functionalities, data-driven discovery and recyclable designs into reliable technologies that can be produced at scale.
This was the main message at the 6th Battery 2030+ Annual Conference, held on 7-8 May 2026 in Turin, Italy. Hosted at Politecnico di Torino, the meeting brought together researchers, industry representatives and policy actors to discuss the next phase of European battery research and innovation. While the Battery 2030+ coordination and support action will conclude in summer 2026, its mission will continue through BATT-BRIDGE, the new project launched in April 2026, building on the established network of projects, partners and stakeholders. The agenda of the final meeting covered the Battery 2030+ journey as well as dedicated sessions on raw materials, recycling, manufacturing, safety, sensing, interfaces and accelerated material discovery.
EURICE colleagues represented the project INERRANT in the Battery 2030+ working groups, contributing to the workshop session on functionality and safety. INERRANT’s is closely aligned with Europe’s broader battery priorities: safer Li-ion batteries, recyclable designs, lower dependency on critical raw materials and scalable pathways towards next-generation electric mobility.
The meeting in Turin addressed issues beyond individual projects. Presentations and panels addressed the need to better connect the research outcomes with potential industrial uptake, skills, infrastructure and policy frameworks. Perspectives from industry and the European Commission about electrification in Europe underlined that battery innovation is becoming a strategic question for European competitiveness. The conference offered a clear takeaway: Europe’s battery future will be shaped at the crossing points of materials and manufacturing, circularity and competitiveness and research and industrial deployment.
