Münster. Batteries made in North Rhine-Westphalia - innovative, sustainable, and climate-friendly: Since 2024, "FFB PreFab", an open research factory, has been driving forward industry-oriented battery cell production. Now, the Fraunhofer Institute for Battery Cell Research and Production in Münster is visibly taking shape. The topping-out ceremony on Monday, July 13, 2026 - kicked off by Minister President Hendrik Wüst, Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur, and Federal Minister of Research Dorothee Bär - marks the start of the decisive construction phase. On the approximately 39,000-square-meter site, a research infrastructure unique in Europe is being built - for battery cells up to the gigawatt scale.

Minister President Hendrik Wüst: “With the Fraunhofer FFB, the federal and state governments are addressing a key industrial policy challenge: bridging the gap between research, pilot projects, and industrial scaling. This is unique in Europe in the field of battery technologies and once again demonstrates our state’s strength in innovation. And it is a strong offering to industry and to our European partners. North Rhine-Westphalia and all of Germany must remain a leading industrial hub—with technological strength, industrial value creation, and secure jobs.”

Deputy Minister-President and Minister of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy Mona Neubaur: “Today in Münster, we are celebrating the topping-out ceremony for a piece of industrial sovereignty. Most battery cells still come from Asia - but we’re changing that right now, step by step, at one of Europe’s largest open research campuses. Here, we’re combining cutting-edge research with real-world industrial applications, open to every company along the value chain. This isn’t just a promise - it’s progress in the making - for greater independence and strength made in NRW.”

Ina Brandes, Minister of Culture and Science: “The development of smart batteries is one of the key technologies that will ensure prosperity and good jobs in North Rhine-Westphalia. With the MEET research center - Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology - and the FFB, North Rhine-Westphalia has the ideal conditions to develop innovations, accelerate technology transfer, and produce on an industrial scale. In addition, Münster as a center of science benefits from the FFB’s ability to attract outstanding researchers from around the world.”

Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space Dorothee Bär: “My goal is clear: Germany should become a leading hub for battery technologies and competitive battery cell production. Only in this way can we hold our own in international competition, make mobility and energy generation climate-neutral, and avoid dependencies. It is for good reason that the FFB is a flagship initiative of Germany’s High-Tech Agenda. The "FFB Fab" will be the nucleus of a strong European battery industry. The topping-out ceremony for the second construction phase of the "FFB Fab" marks a key milestone”.

The federal and state governments are jointly investing approximately one billion euros in the overall project—the federal government is providing up to 750 million euros to establish the research facility, while the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is investing approximately 320 million euros as the project owner. The Fraunhofer Society is the largest recipient of funding and the consortium leader for this major project. It is carrying out the project in collaboration with other local partners: the MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster, the PEM Chair at RWTH Aachen University, and the Helmholtz Institute Münster, a branch of the Jülich Research Center. NRW.URBAN is overseeing the construction on behalf of the state.

The first construction phase, "FFB PreFab", has been in operation since early 2024. More than 140 scientists are already working there to advance the industry-scale production of battery cells. In the fully digitized research factory, the entire production process is replicated—from incoming goods inspection to the finished battery cell—ranging from laboratory samples and initial prototypes to small-scale production on a pilot line. In the "FFB Fab", the second construction phase, gigafactory-scale production facilities are being built on more than 20,000 square meters. Together, the two buildings on the approximately 56,000-square-meter site form a facility that covers the entire journey—from technology maturity in the lab to mass production—under one roof. Here, companies have the opportunity to test and further develop near-series production processes, new battery cells, and innovative plant technology.

Prof. Dr. Axel Müller-Groeling, Executive Board Member for Research Infrastructures and Digitalization at the Fraunhofer Society: “With the "FFB Fab", we are systematically translating excellent research into industrial-scale production and creating an infrastructure in which battery cell technologies are tested, further developed, and prepared for industrial application in collaboration with industry. Europe has the expertise and industrial strength; now the task is to consistently translate these into industrial applications and thereby secure competitiveness and technological sovereignty in the European battery value chain”.

Tilman Fuchs, Mayor of Münster: “The FFB combines cutting-edge research with industrial applications and creates concrete solutions for the energy and mobility transition. It is the centerpiece of BatteryCityMünster, an internationally recognized network in which academia and industry pool their expertise and jointly drive innovation in this key technology. This strengthens Münster as a hub for innovation and, at the same time, sends an important signal for Europe’s competitiveness.”