Dialogue with Start-ups: Towards a Battery Roadmap

One of the goals of the High-Tech Agenda Germany (HTAD) is to establish competitive battery production and recycling in Germany by 2035, embedded in a European production network. Targeted exchange with start-ups in battery research is an important building block in achieving this goal. It is often start-ups and their visionary and courageous founders who enable innovations to find their way out of laboratories and research institutions and into industry and application – sometimes giving rise to completely new, disruptive business models and products that can transform existing markets. In order for start-ups, especially in the deep tech and high-tech sectors, to emerge and grow, they need not only a good founding team and a visionary idea, but also capital, networks, perseverance, favourable conditions and much more.

The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), therefore met with over 30 start-ups from the field of battery research and the federal states on 12 February 2026 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). They discussed specific needs and strategic guidelines in the areas of battery materials (speciality chemicals), battery production and plant engineering, funding instruments, fund models and the growth phases of deep tech/high-tech start-ups. The results of the dialogue will be incorporated into the design of the HTAD battery roadmap. A further dialogue is expected to take place in autumn 2026.

Key topics discussed with the start-ups included financing and access to funding, market access after the start-up phase, and the existing and required infrastructure for start-ups.

Battery technologies are, among others, an important building block for the future of climate-neutral mobility “Made in Germany”. HTAD is paving the way for targeted investments to drive forward the transport transition, close gaps in the field of batteries and, at the same time, reduce our dependence on other countries. An overview of the goals and measures for technologies for climate-neutral mobility can be found here.