Vienna, Austria – May 26, 2025 – The HighMag project, funded under the Horizon Europe programme, was officially launched on May 26th with a Kick-Off Meeting hosted by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. The project brings together 13 leading partners from across Europe and Israel to develop high-energy, low-cost, and scalable magnesium-based Generation 5 batteries.
With the aim to drive the European battery sector toward greater sustainability, security, and strategic autonomy, HighMag will advance a new class of rechargeable magnesium batteries that promise enhanced safety, lower environmental impact, and compatibility with existing lithium-ion manufacturing infrastructure.
A New Chapter in Battery Innovation: HighMag’s Mission
Magnesium is a promising alternative to lithium. It’s naturally abundant, safe, and cheaper. HighMag’s main goal is to create sustainable and affordable alternatives to today’s Li-ion batteries. We’re doing this by developing two advanced Generation 5 rechargeable magnesium batteries: one that uses magnesium-sulfur with a conversion cathode, and another with magnesium-metal and an insertion cathode.
To achieve this, HighMag will focus on developing innovative materials and components like better cathodes, anodes, electrolytes, and separators. The project will also use advanced testing and continuous feedback to overcome current challenges with rechargeable magnesium batteries. This will help move these technologies from early development (TRL2) to a more advanced stage (TRL4), with testing and validation at a small pilot scale.
Sustainability and safety are key for HighMag. The project will ensure this by applying Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) principles and making recyclability a top priority. Finally, HighMag is committed to making these batteries easy to manufacture. This includes making sure they’re compatible with existing lithium-ion production lines. By providing application analysis and business guidelines, HighMag will set the stage for future scaling and use, ultimately supporting Europe’s battery industry.
HighMag is helping drive Europe’s Green Transition by supporting the development of advanced battery technologies for electric vehicles and beyond, while boosting innovation across universities, research institutes, and industry.