Bar-Ilan University has launched a research lab complex for the development of more efficient and environmentally friendly battery storage devices and fuel cells. The collection includes laboratories of the National Energy Storage Institute, the Helmsley Charitable Trust Prototype Laboratory and laboratories of NetZero Technology Ventures.
More than NIS 30 million ($8.3 million) in investments supported the construction of the new complex, which includes the only moisture-controlled “dry room” of its kind on an academic campus in Israel.
The facility brings together energy researchers and partners from academia and industry in state-of-the-art laboratories for the development of prototypes of clean energy storage devices capable of being scaled up for commercial production. Led by Bar-Ilan’s energy researchers, the collaboration with industry partners will facilitate the development, safety testing, and scalability needed to bring advanced energy storage products to market.
The new complex is expected to play a central role in promoting the Israeli innovation ecosystem for advanced climate technologies, with an emphasis on batteries using lithium, as well as alternative materials such as magnesium, sodium, and zinc ions, hydrogen fuel cells, solutions for capturing carbon dioxide and more. The research will advance the commercialization of clean energy storage projects, leading to a greener future in Israel and beyond.
“As an energy researcher and entrepreneur, the establishment of the energy and climate prototype laboratories at Bar-Ilan University is a personal mission for me, as well as the order of the day for Israel and the world,” says Bar-Ilan University president, professor Arie Zaban.
“We need deep-tech-based technology solutions to achieve our ambitious goals and secure the future of the planet. With the opening of the laboratory complex, Bar-Ilan University is strengthening its role as a central home for the deep-tech ecosystem in Israel, which includes Bar-Ilan University’s Center for Energy and Sustainability and a new energy studies building slated to be built in the coming years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Helmsley Charitable Trust and all the other partners for their involvement in this unique and important research project.”
“Israel is a powerhouse of fuel cell and battery technologies, and this project brings together top researchers from academia and industry to collaborate and develop clean energy storage solutions that can be successfully commercialized,” said Sandor Frankel, a trustee of the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, which funded the Helmsley Prototype Lab with $6,565,000. “Helmsley is committed to supporting advanced climate technologies that can help create a greener future for Israel and the world.”
“At NetZero Technology Ventures, our mission is to establish successful companies based on groundbreaking research in the field of energy and climate. All the entrepreneurs we invest in have advanced degrees in physics, chemistry, and engineering, and the intellectual property they develop is a key factor in the ability to grow and succeed. In 2024, NetZero Technology Ventures was the most active investor in Israel in early-stage companies in this field, and we intend to work hard to maintain this achievement and position ourselves as the driving body of this industry in Israel,” says Shmuel Kedmi, CEO of NetZero Technology Ventures. “Our global partners are multi-national companies that operate throughout the entire value chain of the energy sector, including manufacturers, petrochemical players, and electricity players,” such as Total Energies, Eren Groupe, Delek US and IP “and specialized investment funds from Israel and around the world,” OSEG, BGV, and Blue Minds.
“Our partners create an envelope of support for entrepreneurs and provide an opportunity for them to meet the market early, so that their technological and business development processes will be in line with customer requirements,” Kedmi says. “The new Bar-Ilan laboratories will provide an advanced workspace that will further strengthen the support we offer as an incubator.”
Zohar Yinon, senior vice president and CEO of Bar-Ilan University, says: “Hundreds of energy projects are currently operating in Israel. The new laboratories will play a central role in the development of the ecosystem of advanced Israeli climate technologies by addressing the growing global demand for climate solutions and encouraging groundbreaking research and the establishment of innovative startups that drive change for a sustainable future.”
The National Energy Storage Institute, a collaboration between Bar-Ilan University and the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology with the support of the Israeli Ministry of Energy, will offer an infrastructure unlike any other in Israel to advance scientific research.
Professor Doron Aurbach, a world-renowned energy researcher who chairs the National Energy Storage Institute’s Scientific Steering Committee, emphasizes the extraordinary opportunity at hand: “The Israeli academic community is at the forefront of global technology, leveraging its skill set in the fields of electrochemistry and semiconductors, to create innovation for a sustainable future. The technology and innovations being developed at the Institute will have an impact on these industries around the world.”
As a magnet for scientists and a source of new energy storage technologies, The National Energy Storage Institute will be a central pillar in meeting Israel’s goal of becoming a greenhouse gas-free country by 2050.