Funding initiative „Raw materials for the energy transition“

Background and objectives

The rapid expansion of renewable energies is a central pillar of national and international climate protection strategies. Photovoltaics, wind power, battery storage, grid expansion, electric vehicles and electrolysers will become massively more important in the coming years. However, this transformation process requires an increasing amount of raw materials. This high demand for resources entails the risk of supply bottlenecks and price fluctuations, which could hamper the further expansion of renewable technologies.

The aim of this call for proposals is to promote innovative concepts, technologies and business models that

• systemically reduce the overall demand for raw materials,
• develop alternative materials and substitution strategies,
• develop circular production and recycling processes,
• contribute to a sustainable, resilient energy transition.

At the same time, the funding initiative focuses on security of supply, environmental compatibility, economic efficiency and the ecological balance of energy-related technologies. The criticality of raw materials is highly dynamic, which is why no detailed definition is provided for the funding call. All raw materials relevant to the energy transition are eligible for funding with a comprehensible justification as long as the basic criteria of DBU funding (innovation, environmental relief, model character) are met. The aim of this call for proposals is to consider materials with high bottleneck potential in a holistic circular economy and to promote appropriate solutions.

Circular economy

The circular economy aims to manage materials and resources in a closed system in order to minimize waste and provide secondary raw materials of comparable quality to primary raw materials. This concept has far-reaching implications for the energy transition, as products such as photovoltaic modules, batteries and electrolysers not only require large quantities of raw materials, but must also be reusable at the end of their service life.

An expanded circular economy includes comprehensive strategies for the sustainable use of resources along the value chain.

These include:

• Designing new products and processes with the aim of embedding circularity from the outset
• Reducing the use of raw materials, for example through more efficient design and extended product life cycles
• Reuse of components and modules in downstream systems or subsequent applications
• Processes and concepts for the collection, return and recycling of end-of-life products for the recovery of secondary raw materials
• Substitution of relevant raw materials
• Energetic use of unavoidable residual materials to recover energy and reduce fossil substitute fuels

In the context of the energy transition, these strategies serve as guidelines for the development of innovative solutions. The concepts called for in this call for proposals should address one or more of these fields of action and thus contribute to systematically reducing resource requirements, increasing recycling rates and improving the overall resilience of value chains.

Eligible focus areas

The “Raw materials for the energy transition” funding initiative supports projects that fall into one or more of the following areas:

• Circular design of products and processes
  Funding is provided for design and development projects that are geared towards material efficiency and reusability from the outset. This includes modular construction methods, easy disassembly and the use of durable materials in order to extend product life cycles and minimize waste. Standardization issues are also relevant in order to increase the reusability of individual components.
• Substitution of critical raw materials in production processes
  The aim is to research and validate alternative materials or chemical processes that completely or partially replace critical metals or volume-intensive materials. Solutions with proven technological feasibility and comparable performance are required. When considering substitution, it should be borne in mind that a “shift” from one raw material to another could lead to criticality in the latter. Systematic considerations – also in relation to other sectors with access to the same raw materials – may also be eligible for funding. New methods for materials research and development and their use in SMEs are also of interest.
• Reverse logistics
  Funding is provided for the development of logistics processes for returning discarded products to the cycle, for example reverse logistics concepts that enable comprehensive and efficient collection, sorting and feeding into recycling processes.
• Development of business models
  Innovative business models and strategies for an expanded circular economy, in particular cross-stakeholder cooperation, offer new opportunities: For example, mergers can first lead to relevant quantities of a material flow coming together in order to be able to carry out recycling economically. Other possible business areas include product-as-a-service, refurbishment of components without recycling at material level, design and production of recyclable products, remanufacturing, acceptance/use of secondary raw materials and materials, insurance of second-hand modules, security of supply, digital product passport, reverse logistics, improved repair options. At this point, special reference should be made to our funding opportunities for start-ups.

Funding information

This call for proposals is aimed in particular at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs and start-ups); therefore, applications from universities and research institutes without partners in practice will not be funded.

The maximum funding amount is €300,000. Projects with funding of up to €175,000 are subject to an accelerated decision-making process. Start-ups receive €125,000 in de minimis funding with no own contribution. The current version of the DBU funding guidelines applies.

Here you will find all information about DBU project funding and DBU start-up funding.

Please mark your project outline for this funding initiative with “FI RE” in the title to ensure correct electronic allocation.

Example projects

Second Life” area

• Investigating the reuse of traction batteries as stationary energy storage in private households
• Start-up Better Sol – A second life for solar modules through an intelligent testing process

Substitution” area

• Highly efficient, cost-effective and long-lasting sodium-ion battery cells

Redesign” area

• Development of an innovative PV module based on a standard insulating glass unit

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