Upcell Event
Milano, April 2024
The inaugural Upcell event of 2024 was hosted by Politecnico di Milano University, one of Italy’s premier universities (QS Ranking), with over 200 attendees united in their goal of advancing the European battery ecosystem and strengthen business relations with international partners. CEOs, directors, and experts from all sectors in the battery industry convened to share insights and explore potential collaborations.
The event showcased a captivating agenda, with the first day dedicated to business and networking opportunities while the second day focused on innovation. Representatives from the University opened the venue, expressing gratitude to Upcell for selecting POLIMI as the venue to host the event. Prof. Marcello Colledani, Coordinator of BATTwin, the first Upcell Alliance’s project awarded, along with Prof. Marco Belloli, Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, delivered the welcome note. Tullio Tolio, professor at POLIMI and President of the Scientific Technical Committee of Lombardy Region Cluster AFIL, underscored Lombardy’s commitment to industrialization and the significant opportunities the battery sector presents.
The day continued with updates from Upcell, including discussions on global collaboration and the presentation of the Scientific Committee and Advisory Board. Following the latter, different presentations, including 3D-Battery, BASF, COESIA, and the cooperation initiative presented by ZNL Energy together with Eltronic and Schneider Electric, highlighted collaborative efforts materialized in a future pilot line, an example of Upcell Alliance networking success. Likewise, we had the honor of having Annamaria Marchi, Deputy Head of the Internal Energy Market Unit at the European Commission and David Tabone from Business France, discussing investment advantages in France and energy-related priorities in Europe. During the day, two vibrating discussion panels took place. The “Race for solid-state batteries: future goals and challenges” moderated by Ingrid Leiser gathered Blue Solutions, Basquevolt, Comau and Schneider Electric. The second panel discussion, moderated by Claudia Lung focused on “Sustainability and performance of the Li-ion battery value chain” and gathered 5 battery manufacturers, namely 3D- Battery, American Battery Factory, Elinor Batteries, Verkor and Inobat, together with Comexi.
To conclude the first day, Upcell Alliance awards were presented, honoring Nino Guidetti and Ingrid Leiser for their invaluable contributions to Upcell’s development and their support from the very beginning. A vibrating networking cocktail followed, providing attendees with the opportunity to connect over music, Italian cuisine, and spritzs. Additionally, a guided visit to the Battery Labs of POLIMI was offered for those interested members.
The second day started with a battery market trends overview provided by Avicenne Energy and continued with the contribution of members and invited speakers such as Imerys, Fraunhofer University, MKS-Atotech, Lazpiur, Agrati, POLITO or Shift Materials, with speakers showcasing their expertise and ongoing projects. Likewise, Upcell’s first international partner, Génik, was introduced, and to conclude the event, the BATTwin project was showcased, featuring a round table discussion led by the coordinator, Prof. Marcello Colledani with the participation of work package and use-case leaders.
The two-day event was undeniably full of engaging discussions on key topics and successful networking among industry, academia and business professionals, with the common objective of strengthened the European battery ecosystem through collaboration and innovation.
At Upcell, we express our most heartfelt gratitude to all members and participants for their willingness and commitment to making this event a complete success. Likewise, we sincerely thank POLIMI University for its support in the organization of the event.
