Battery disassembly (symbolic image)Image: The Future is NeutralThe EU and India’s Joint Trade and Technology Council (TTC) have announced funding for electric vehicle battery recycling as part of a working group on green and clean energy technologies. The programme, backed by €15.2 million, invites companies, SMEs, startups, research institutions, universities, and other organisations from the EU and India to apply for funding through a competitive tender. This call for proposals remains open until 15 September.The funding is provided by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme and India’s Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). It supports the development of advanced recycling technologies, including high-efficiency material recovery, secure and digitalised collection systems, and the piloting of innovative processes. Central to the funding programme is the establishment of a pilot plant in India, designed to validate technologies under real-world conditions and enable industrial deployment. The TTC aims to unite leading researchers, companies, and startups from both regions to develop sustainable and scalable recycling solutions with global impact.Key technical priorities for the pilot plant include:High yield: Advanced processes for lithium and cathode-active material (CAM) grade purity.Handling mixed chemical substances: Development of flexible recycling methods for current and future battery types.Logistics & inclusion: Digitalised collection and sorting systems that integrate the informal sector to ensure safe and risk-free logistics.Safety & second-life: Advanced diagnostics for second-life applications and active safety monitoring.In light of the rapidly increasing demand for electric vehicles, both the EU and India are prioritising the recovery of strategic raw materials such as lithium, graphite, and cobalt to reduce dependence on international imports, particularly from China. The goal of this collaboration is to transform battery waste into a ‘virtual mine’ and recover high-purity materials that can be directly fed back into the production of new batteries.Hervé Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India, stated: “Batteries sit at the core of the green transition, with their components far too strategic to be discarded after a single use. By launching this joint call, we are uniting European and Indian expertise into a single team to solve one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Our goal is to take these innovations all the way from the development phase to real-world deployment- a move that represents a direct investment in our mineral security and our shared climate goals.”Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, added: “This joint initiative marks a critical leap in India’s circular economy, establishing a beyond state-of-the-art pilot line designed to transform battery waste into a strategic resource. Through these efforts, we are poised to securing a domestic supply of critical minerals and also catalysing momentum for pioneering a digitalised, inclusive logistics model that integrates the informal sector while ensuring the highest safety standards for second-life applications.”europa.eu
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