Authors: Kartal Arslan (PhD Researcher – VUB), Dr. K. Burak Dermenci (Senior Researcher – VUB)

Often, academia–industry collaboration in the lithium-ion battery (LIB) sector is hindered by misaligned priorities. For instance, different technology readiness levels (TRLs), and conflicting expectations around intellectual property and publication are just a couple among others. In fact, laboratory-scale research rarely reflects industrial manufacturing conditions, making scale-up challenging. Moreover, limited access to pilot-scale facilities and differences in skills and working culture further widen this gap. This highlights the need for more structured and effective collaboration models.

Building Bridges: aligning Research with Industrial Scale-Up

Addressing these challenges requires collaboration models that can effectively bridge scientific innovation with industrial needs. Several complementary approaches can support this transition by improving knowledge exchange, strengthening infrastructure, and enabling more effective technology transfer.

Joint research centers provide a shared environment where academic and industrial partners can access common laboratories, pilot-scale equipment, and expertise. As a result, this will allow research activities to be conducted under more realistic manufacturing conditions. In addition, industrial PhD programs further strengthen this connection. This is possible by training researchers who combine scientific capabilities with practical understanding of industrial processes and challenges. Moreover, consortium-based models bring together universities, companies, research institutes, and public organisations to address complex challenges requiring shared resources and multidisciplinary expertise.

By combining these approaches, the LIB ecosystem can accelerate technology development and improve scale-up capabilities. As a result, they will create a stronger link between laboratory discoveries and industrial implementation.

Collaboration Models in Battery Production

The importance of structured collaboration models is demonstrated by several successful examples from the global LIB ecosystem. Across different regions, academia, industry, and public organisations have developed initiatives that bridge scientific research with industrial implementation. To achieve this outcome, it was necessary to provide shared infrastructure, applied research capabilities, and long-term innovation frameworks.
In Germany, the Fraunhofer model represents a strong example of industry-oriented applied research, where scientific expertise links with industrial challenges in areas such as battery materials and manufacturing processes. Another example is the United States, where the Battery Innovation Center provides a critical scale-up platform. In fact, such platform enables companies and researchers to validate battery technologies under near-industrial conditions, before large-scale investment. Similarly, CIC energiGUNE in Spain demonstrates the value of integrating fundamental research with industrial needs through joint projects, technology transfer, and application-driven development. At the European level, Battery 2030+ highlights the importance of large-scale strategic collaboration by bringing together research institutions, companies, and policymakers to define long-term directions for next-generation battery technologies.

These examples show that effective collaboration structures can accelerate innovation, reduce scale-up barriers, and strengthen the competitiveness of the LIB ecosystem.

Future Battery Production

Strengthening academia–industry collaboration will be essential for building a more resilient and competitive LIB ecosystem. By establishing long-term partnerships, improving access to shared resources, and aligning scientific research with industrial priorities, stakeholders can accelerate innovation and overcome scale-up challenges. A collaborative approach will ultimately enable faster development and deployment of advanced battery technologies.