Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB Regional and international partnership to promote battery technology
Münster. The expansion and intensification of strategic cooperation in the field of battery cell production: This is the goal of the North Westphalia Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Nord Westfalen) and the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB. On 6 November 2023, both partners confirmed their future cooperation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Among other things, the partners want to promote international cooperation and the development of training and further education programmes in #BatteryCityMünster and thus also raise awareness of the extensive research and development activities in the field of battery cell production internationally and in the North Westphalia region. Dr. Florian Degen (Head of Strategy and Corporate Development at Fraunhofer FFB), Dr. Thomas Paulsen (Group Manager Business Development at Fraunhofer FFB) and Alexander Jan Widak (Business Development Manager at Fraunhofer FFB) welcomed IHK Managing Director Dr. Fritz Jaeckel and Sebastian van Deel (Head of Digitalisation at IHK Nord Westfalen) to the signing ceremony.
In the declaration of intent, the partners have described their long-term ambitions, goals and specific activities for the coming years. The aim is to strengthen regional and international networking through joint events and activities. During a delegation trip to the USA in March 2023, the partners were already able to create synergies with US energy institutes and companies, benefit from the research findings and receive innovative impetus for the North Westphalia region. Fraunhofer FFB Head of Strategy and Corporate Development, Dr Florian Degen, explains: »We want to pool our resources and expertise together and drive innovation for #BatteryCityMünster. In doing so, we will benefit from the fact that we can already look back on successful activities in the past and thus further strengthen networking between science and the local economy.«
Intensification of international co-operation and profiling
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce has been supporting the Fraunhofer FFB with its international activities in Europe, the ASEAN region and the USA for over two years now. This work is to be further intensified in the sense of a GreenTech region of North Westphalia, as the FFB is a major driving force in this area.
In concrete terms, this means Deepening cooperation with the Netherlands - e.g. support for the Dutch »Battery Days« on 9 and 10 November 2023 in Enschede and Münster; support for workshops in Chicago in December in the USA or for delegation trips to Norway, Indonesia and Malaysia.
»It is already clear that international activities are of particular importance to FFB«, emphasised Jaeckel. The first projects and settlements from the USA, Singapore and South Korea have already been recorded in Münster. An agreement between #BatteryCityMünster and »Battery Coast Norway« was also recently signed by Technologieförderung Münster.
Setting the course for education and training in the North Westphalia region
New ways of working together in the battery manufacturing sector are also to be developed via the IHK education sector.
In this way, the Fraunhofer FFB and the IHK Nord Westfalen are promoting the competitiveness of companies and the development of innovations in the fields of manufacturing and materials research. IHK Managing Director Dr Fritz Jaeckel explains: »The Fraunhofer FFB is an opportunity for our region in the field of future technologies. For this reason, we are supporting the FFB both internationally and with innovative educational formats, as we are already doing in the field of hydrogen.«
The Fraunhofer FFB and the IHK Nord Westfalen also want to drive forward research activities in order to make a contribution to the mobility transition. The first joint project applications are already planned.
About the IHK Nord Westfalen
The IHK Nord Westfalen is committed to ensuring that northern Westphalia develops into one of the top business locations in Germany and Europe. It promotes trade and industry in the Emscher-Lippe region and Münsterland, represents their overall interests vis-à-vis the state and politicians, ensures fair competition between companies and performs sovereign administrative tasks on behalf of the state, for example in the area of vocational training. In this way, it creates optimal competitive conditions for its 150,000 member companies. Together with the other 78 IHKs, the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and the Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHK), it forms a network that even enables global representation of interests and helps Fraunhofer FFB to prove itself on an international level and strengthen its visibility in battery cell production.
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