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NEXT-GENERATION BATTERIES: MATERIALS, INTERFACES, AND ADVANCED CHARACTERIZATION FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

18 September

WORKSHOP COMMITTEE

Sergio BRUTTI, Sapienza University of Rome
Giorgia GRECO, ENEA
Margherita MORENO, ENEA
Marco SEBASTIANI, University of Roma Tre

Batteries stand at the heart of the global transition towards a low-carbon society. To meet the ambitious goals of sustainable energy, Europe must accelerate innovation in materials discovery, interface engineering, advanced diagnostics, and scalable manufacturing. This Workshop brings together leading experts, young scientists, and European initiatives to discuss the most promising research directions, highlight cutting-edge methodologies, and foster collaboration between academia, research institutions, and industry.

The program will open with two dedicated sessions to young researchers, presenting the outcomes of the Battery 2030+ Young Scientist Event and its Manifesto for the Batteries of the Future. These sessions will provide fresh perspectives and research visions from emerging talents across Europe, reinforcing the importance of education, collaboration, and long-term strategies supported by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE).

A special insight lecture will then showcase the potential of operando synchrotron techniques, enabling unprecedented understanding of reaction mechanisms and structural dynamics in next-generation systems beyond lithium.

The Workshop will continue with two highly focused sessions linked to two European projects:
• DigiCell (Battery Material Characterisation and Digital Twins), presenting next-generation tools for in-operando diagnostics and AI/ML-driven workflows for predictive testing, reliability, and sustainable manufacturing of battery cells;
• HyMetBat (Hybrid Metrology for Sustainable and Low-Carbon Footprint Battery Materials), dedicated to multi-scale characterisation of battery materials and interfaces, combining traceable metrology, advanced spectroscopy, and imaging across different length scales to accelerate innovation in electrochemical storage.

By merging perspectives from young talents, European projects, and industrial partners, this Workshop will provide an overview of the future of batteries—bridging fundamental science, advanced characterisation, and sustainable applications to support Europe’s leadership in energy storage technologies.

Batteries play a crucial role in enabling a low-carbon future. Equally important is ensuring that young researchers—who embody that future—are empowered to help shape its direction. The key to progress lies in the exchange of ideas and the cultivation of synergy. At the European level, the Battery 2030+ initiative is leading this effort by organizing the Young Scientist Event (YSE) on June 3, 2025. This event brings together top European universities and research institutions, culminating in the creation of a “Manifesto for the Batteries of the Future.” This document captures the insights and challenges identified during the YSE and serves as a foundation for future collaboration. Across this and the following session, the outcomes of the YSE will be presented as a follow-up and a stepping stone for continued dialogue. The aim is to define the necessary initiatives and activities that will drive groundbreaking innovations and discoveries in battery technology. Young researchers from Italian and other European universities and research centers will showcase their work, offering forward-looking perspectives, proposing new research directions, and encouraging collaboration among European scientists and industrial partners.

The activity is funded by the Program Agreements between ENEA and the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), Project 1.2 “Technologies for electrochemical and thermal storage” (PTR 2025-2027, CUP I53C24003300001).

Batteries play a crucial role in enabling a low-carbon future. Equally important is ensuring that young researchers—who embody that future—are empowered to help shape its direction. The key to progress lies in the exchange of ideas and the cultivation of synergy. At the European level, the Battery 2030+ initiative is leading this effort by organizing the Young Scientist Event (YSE) on June 3, 2025. This event brings together top European universities and research institutions, culminating in the creation of a “Manifesto for the Batteries of the Future.” This document captures the insights and challenges identified during the YSE and serves as a foundation for future collaboration.
Across this and the previous session, the outcomes of the YSE will be presented as a follow-up and a stepping stone for continued dialogue. The aim is to define the necessary initiatives and activities that will drive groundbreaking innovations and discoveries in battery technology.
Young researchers from Italian and other European universities and research centers will showcase their work, offering forward-looking perspectives, proposing new research directions, and encouraging collaboration among European scientists and industrial partners.

The activity is funded by the Program Agreements between ENEA and the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), Project 1.2 “Technologies for electrochemical and thermal storage” (PTR 2025-2027, CUP I53C24003300001).