8 July 2025
On 7 July 2025, the MEET Battery Research Centre and the Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS) celebrated their fifteenth and tenth anniversaries respectively with a ceremony at Münster Castle. Closely connected through longstanding collaboration, both institutions work with academic and industrial partners on key challenges in battery research. They are led by chemist Prof Dr Martin Winter, who is based at HI MS. The institute is part of Forschungszentrum Jülich, which has been involved in shaping its research agenda from the beginning.
Guests included State Secretary Dr Rolf-Dieter Jungk from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister for Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur, Prof Andrea Kienle from the state's Ministry of Culture and Science, and Münster's Lord Mayor Markus Lewe. Prof Astrid Lambrecht, Chair of the Board of Directors at Forschungszentrum Jülich, gave a welcome address in which she congratulated the institutions on their anniversaries. A highlight of the event was the keynote speech by Nobel laureate Prof Stanley Whittingham of Binghamton University, who reflected on the success story of the lithium-ion battery.
MEET and HI MS: A strong research partnership
The collaboration between MEET (Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology) and HI MS spans the full battery value chain - from advanced materials research and battery cell production to analytics and recycling. The combination of university-based science and the infrastructure of a large-scale research institution such as Forschungszentrum Jülich enables complementary approaches, linking fundamental research with applied and systems-level perspectives.
Jülich's role in battery research
At Forschungszentrum Jülich, battery research is embedded in a broader energy research strategy that bridges material science and the development of future energy systems. Research teams explore the role of battery storage in the energy transition and examine its integration into tomorrow's energy infrastructure. Key areas of focus include cost-effective pathways to climate neutrality, the interplay of battery and hydrogen storage technologies, and lifecycle assessments of home energy storage systems.
The Living Lab Energy Campus (LLEC) provides a platform for testing these concepts in practice. As a living lab, it connects various storage and conversion technologies directly to the site's energy infrastructure - enabling practical experimentation under real-life conditions.
Collaboration with HI MS and the MEET Battery Research Centre plays an important role in advancing these research efforts and in tackling the complex challenges of energy storage through shared expertise.
Further Information
Contact Person
Prof. Dr. Martin Winter
Gründungsdirektor
- Institute of Energy Materials and Devices (IMD)
- Helmholtz Institute Münster: Ionics in Energy Storage (IMD-4 / HI MS)
