CSEM expands its Battery Innovation Hub with a new dry room in Neuchâtel

Neuchâtel’s CSEM has opened an industry-accessible battery dry room at its Battery Innovation Hub, giving Swiss companies, start-ups, and SMEs access to advanced battery development infrastructure.

CSEM, the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology based in Neuchâtel, has expanded its Battery Innovation Hub with a new dry-room facility, strengthening Switzerland’s capacity for next-generation battery research and development. The infrastructure is open to companies, start-ups, and SMEs, providing access to industrial-grade development conditions that have until now been available mainly abroad or within a small number of large industrial players.

The dry room operates at a dew point of around −50°C, enabling work with highly moisture-sensitive materials such as lithium metal, a key ingredient in next-generation battery chemistries that offer higher energy density, improved safety, and lower production costs. Spanning approximately 37 square meters, the facility includes a pilot production line for pouch cells up to 5 Ah, a format widely used in smartphones and electric vehicles, allowing new cell concepts to progress from laboratory research to industrially relevant formats.

The strategic significance of the facility extends beyond the laboratory. Batteries currently account for around 30 to 40 percent of the cost of an electric vehicle, and battery cell production remains heavily concentrated in Asia. Switzerland’s ability to develop and demonstrate advanced cell technologies domestically is increasingly tied to industrial competitiveness across mobility, stationary energy storage, and beyond. The Battery Innovation Hub continues to receive regional backing from Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise (BCN), which has renewed its support for a further two years, and from the Service de l’énergie et de l’environnement (SENE) of the canton of Neuchâtel.

For a broader perspective on CSEM’s role in Switzerland’s innovation ecosystem, listen to our Getting Serious podcast conversation with Dr. Alexandre Pauchard, CEO of CSEM, in which he explores what keeps Switzerland at the top of global innovation rankings.