The regional network BLB+ – Braunschweig Labfactories for Batteries and more – pools the expertise of the Battery Labfactory Braunschweig (BLB), the Center for Circular Production of Next Batteries and Fuel Cells (CPC) and the Fraunhofer Center for Energy Storage and Systems ZESS.

The BLB and CPC research centres bring together over 150 researchers and numerous students from the Technical University of Braunschweig, the Clausthal University of Technology, the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and Leibniz Universität Hannover, spanning disciplines from electrical and process engineering, through metallurgy, physics and chemistry to environmental and economic sciences. The centres’ shared infrastructures, comprising laboratories and pilot facilities, including those at Braunschweig Research Airport, create a model of interdisciplinary collaboration centred on circular battery production that is unique in Europe.

Since 2007, the BLB has carried out over 200 battery projects and sent off more than 100 PhD graduates to the industry.

The BLB is one of the world’s leading research institutions for the circular manufacturing of lithium-ion cells. At its Braunschweig facilities, electrode coating, cell assembly and utilisation, recycling and material synthesis are demonstrated within a closed-loop material cycle, right up to industrial scale. With the opening of the Fraunhofer ZESS in 2026 and the CPC at the end of 2027 at the research airport, research will be expanded to include novel battery types such as lithium- and sodium-based solid-state batteries and metal-air batteries, as well as fuel cells and electrolyzers.

Visit the BLB+ website

At the Campus for Battery Safety Germany (bsd), researchers are working on the safe use of batteries, from small half-cells to large battery systems. Through a unique combination of cross-system expertise from electrochemical process engineering, sensor technology and other engineering disciplines, the campus is able to tackle complex research problems with a comprehensive approach.

The Campus for Battery Safety Germany is a joint initiative of Clausthal University of Technology (the Clausthal Research Center for Environmental Technologies - CUTEC - and the Energy Storage Technologies Research Centre - EST - are involved), the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI (Department of Fiber Optical Sensor Systems), Allianz für die Region GmbH, the district and city of Goslar, Wirtschaftsförderung Region Goslar GmbH & Co.KG and Wolfsburg AG.

The core of the equipment at the Campus is the Battery and Sensor Test Center, which covers an area of 1,500 square meters and can be used to carry out electrical, dynamic load tests up to 1000V/1200A, i.e. 1.2MW, up to the maximum range.

Visit the bsd website