A national consortium of 58 industry, government and research partners has been successful in its bid to establish the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) in Western Australia.
The Future Battery Industries CRC is expected to help tackle industry identified gaps in the battery industries value chain, support battery deployment and optimise the circular economy for battery waste recycling.
Led by Curtin University, the centre will focus on three research programs where industry, government and researchers have joined together: battery industry development, the processing of minerals, metals and materials for batteries and the development of a new battery storage system.
Curtin University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor, Chris Moran said the CRC would ensure Australia capitalised on the significant opportunities presented by the battery boom.
“The world is transitioning to electricity systems powered by renewable energy and the global use of energy materials is booming, driven by the rising demand for batteries to store this power,” Professor Moran said.
“The Future Battery Industries CRC will address the existing gaps in the nation’s capacity to respond to this growth industry by creating opportunities to process, manufacture and deploy batteries, delivering an estimated $2.5 billion benefit to the Australian economy over the next 15 years.”
Future Battery Industries CRC Chair, Mr Tim Shanahan said the consortium has a six-year plan to address these industry-identified gaps.
“The national consortium of 58 industry, academic and government partners aim to co-create the tools and technologies needed to ensure Australia is leading the way in the battery revolution from mining and processing to manufacture and deployment in households, communities and industry, and in the recycling of batteries,” Mr Shanahan explained.
“Given Australia’s abundant resources of battery minerals and world-class resources sector, the potential to promote the nation’s premium-quality, ethically sourced and safe battery minerals and metals through forensic-accredited and traceable sources will also be investigated, paving the way for Australia to position itself as a global leader in the international battery value chain.”
The Future Battery Industries CRC is expected to fund 40 PhD students and undertake an education and training program with activities that will assist in building a workforce to support Australia’s future battery industries.
The Australian Government has committed $25 million to support the development of the Future Battery Industries CRC, following a $28 million commitment from industry, government and research partners.
The Western Australian State Government seeded the bid with a combined $6 million in provisional funding to support to the establishment of the centre in Perth.
More information on the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre can be found here.