Prof. Dr. Michael Reke and Prof. Dr. Alexander Ferrein were awarded the FH Aachen Research Prize for developing a cross-vehicle software architecture for autonomous vehicles.

The university emphasized the importance of curiosity-driven research and its role in mobility, sustainability, and digitalization. The prize, sponsored by the Sparkasse Aachen Citizens Foundation, recognizes outstanding research and innovation, with additional support from the FH Aachen Sustainability Fund.

Both researchers expressed their gratitude for the prize, which they plan to use to further their vision. The university celebrates the research prize as an annual event, highlighting the importance of research freedom and academic collaboration.

The University of Bayreuth is involved in the project 'Sodium-Ion Battery: Germany Research – SIB:DE RESEARCH' aimed at the rapid industrial implementation of sodium-ion batteries. Twenty-one national institutions from science and industry are pooling their expertise to quickly transfer research results into practical application. The research project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with approximately 14 million euros.

Lithium-ion batteries are the most commonly used energy storage devices currently. However, resource dependence and scarcity are significant challenges for this technology. Therefore, alternatives for mobile and stationary energy storage are urgently needed. Sodium-ion batteries (NIB, SIB) are considered a promising approach due to their abundance, affordability, and safety. Thus, sodium-ion batteries could play a key role in a stable and sustainable European energy supply.

The SIB:DE RESEARCH project involves 21 German institutions that are examining the suitability of SIB for the energy and mobility transition and aim to quickly industrialize its use. The project focuses on identifying SIB active materials that can be produced on a scalable basis and offer competitive cell performance. Prof. Dr. Matteo Bianchini from the University of Bayreuth's Chair of Inorganic Active Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage is working on developing new active materials for cathodes and anodes, which are crucial for the performance of SIB.