The German federal minister for education and research, Professor Annette Schavan, and Dr. Hubert Jäger, chairman of the expertise network lithium ion batteries (KLiB, Kompetenznetzwerk Lithium-Ionen Batterien), signed a declaration to establish a pilot plant for lithium ion cells. The plant is to serve all KLiB member companies as a platform for research and development for production technology questions related to lithium ion cells.

This closes a gap in expertise in the value added chain and additionally extends the research and development activities of many enterprises by an important facet.

• Kompetenznetzwerk Lithium-Ionen Batterien (KLiB), Ulm, Germany