• The event, organised by the Basque centre at the Europa Palace in Vitoria-Gasteiz, brought together over 120 professionals, institutional representatives, and companies from the global energy sector over four days. It highlighted the need for Europe’s battery ecosystem to advance in critical areas such as scalability and raw materials.
• "We are moving towards a scientific ecosystem in which incentives and evaluations are aligned with more rigorous, open science, focused on the common good, promoting its utility and positive impact on society," said Montse Casas-Cabanas, Vice-President of the Congress and Scientific Director of the Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion Area at CIC energiGUNE.

(Vitoria-Gasteiz, 14 July 2025)

CIC energiGUNE, a leading Basque centre in electrochemical energy storage and conversion and thermal energy storage and conversion, has emphasised the importance of deeply understanding the "current challenges and opportunities" in energy storage as a key step in strengthening Europe’s leadership "in the race for strategic energy technologies".

This was one of the main conclusions drawn from the 6th “Power Our Future” Congress, held last week in Vitoria-Gasteiz, with participation from researchers, industry professionals, and institutional leaders from around the world.

“We are building an inspiring, sustained, and close science: one that connects with society, is understood and valued, and fosters active involvement, generating trust and a shared sense of purpose,” said Montse Casas-Cabanas, Vice-President of “Power Our Future” and Scientific Director of the Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion Area at CIC energiGUNE, reflecting on the event.

 

Over three full days, “Power Our Future 25” delved into the progress of electrochemical energy storage technologies, which were described as “crucial for building a sustainable energy future”. The programme included two round tables (one industrial: “Energizing EU Market: Turning Battery Research into Real-World Impact”, and one scientific: “Pioneering Science from Euskadi”), 13 invited talks, 38 oral presentations, and 26 posters, with participants from 18 different countries.

“It’s worth noting that the impact of this congress goes beyond Europe’s borders, as we had international participants from countries like Australia, Morocco, and China,” Casas highlighted, also noting the importance of the presence of Michel Armand, President of the Congress and a leading scientist at CIC energiGUNE, considering that he was the inspiration behind many of the studies presented.

 

Support for Industry

“Power Our Future” began on Tuesday, 8 July, with an inaugural session presented by Nuria Gisbert, Director of CIC energiGUNE, featuring speeches by Adolfo Morais, Vice-Councillor for Science and Innovation of the Basque Government; Ander Larrinaga, Director of Economic Development and Innovation at the Álava Provincial Council; and María Nanclares, Councillor for Economic Promotion at the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council. This was followed by the first round table, focused on science, where CIC energiGUNE Ikerbasque researchers Javier Carrasco and Heng Zhang, along with Vice-Councillor Morais, discussed advancements in energy storage technologies.

During this session, the Basque commitment to becoming a “quantum hub” was highlighted, with energy storage identified as a strategic use case to drive practical adoption and generate synergies between advanced science and key industries. Vice-Councillor Morais also emphasised that “we need to better support our scientists, because without them, there is no scientific future, no energy transition, and no innovative country.”

The second round table took place on Thursday and had an industrial focus, in response to the growing interest from the scientific community in accelerating the transfer of knowledge and the practical application of their research. This session, moderated by Raquel Ferret, Business Development Director at CIC energiGUNE, featured participants such as Mischa Bechberger from VDI; Michael Lippert from SAFT; Gregory Schmidt from ARKEMA; Juan José Varela from INGETEAM; Fabein Figueres from SUEZ; and Mikel Arrese-Igor from DNV.

The debate explored the energy storage market landscape and the great opportunities for international competition. “Europe has a unique opportunity to position itself, and to do so, we must focus on new niches, with the value chain being one of the keys to success in the battery sector,” Ferret reminded the audience. It was also emphasised that a crucial aspect of the continent’s energy transition is the role of batteries in the energy system, with a call for alignment between public policies and cross-sectoral collaboration to accelerate the energy transition.