Münster. The project "FoFeBat", funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, aims to establish a central research infrastructure for an economical, scalable, and sustainable production of battery cells. This initiative led to the construction of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB, which has been operating as an independent Fraunhofer institution since 2023. As the centerpiece of the FoFeBat project, Fraunhofer FFB enables industry to test new production technologies for current and future cell formats under realistic conditions and to accelerate their transfer into industrial application. The project is supported by a strong research alliance: A total of 14 Fraunhofer institutes, in cooperation with the Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University, the Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology (MEET) at the University of Münster, and Forschungszentrum Jülich, are involved in the implementation of the project.

At the beginning of the status meeting, Saskia Wessel presented, on behalf of Fraunhofer FFB, a strategic overall overview focusing on the schedule for the further ramp-up of the "FFB PreFab" as well as the planned production of the first charged cell. For the first time this year, various industrial partners, suppliers of the "FFB PreFab", also enriched the program: In several presentation blocks, Breyer, Kampf, Andritz, FFT, Siemens, Weiss Technik, Drees & Sommer, and Roland Berger presented their current developments and technical approaches, thus providing comprehensive insights into ongoing collaborations and the joint progress along the entire production chain of battery cell manufacturing. During the lunch break, participants took the opportunity during the "Meet the Experts" format to exchange ideas with FFB employees on important research priorities, including sodium-ion batteries and cost optimization in production operations. In the afternoon, a guided tour of the "FFB PreFab"followed, during which the partners were able to gain an impression on site of the current commissioning steps of the process line.

The second day of the event began with a detailed progress report on the ramp-up of the "FFB PreFab". Subsequently, current projects as well as the progress of the innovation modules and innovation laboratories were presented, which enable companies to test their technologies and developments under real production conditions and thus accelerate the path from the initial idea to industrial exploitation. In the afternoon, planning for the "FFB Fab" moved into focus, including in particular the design of the cleanroom and dry room concepts. Finally, concepts for the industrial exploitation of the "FFB Fab" were discussed before the meeting concluded with a summary of the results.

Project Funding 

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.has committed with a funding of up to EUR 500 million to the development of the "FoFeBat" project, spread over several years. The government of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia will provide an additional total sum of EUR 320 million for the purchase of the site, the construction of the buildings and the development of the required infrastructure.

It is expected that the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB, which is being set up within the "FoFeBat" project, will create up to 150 new jobs. Experts in the fields of battery research and production are already being recruited all over Germany and Europe. The Fraunhofer FFB in Münster has been designed to become a pan-European flagship research project for new battery production technologies.

The federal and state governments have committed themselves financially until 2028. Their subsidies will be spread over various stages of the financing process – from the architectural planning stage and the design of machines and processes to the launch of the research manufacturing facility.