Arkema invests €10 million to expand Lyon-region Battery Center of Excellence
- Arkema will invest €10 million to expand its Global Battery Center of Excellence in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
- The centre’s footprint will be tripled and its R&D infrastructure modernized, including a major increase in digitalization.
- The expansion complements a solvent-free electrode lab opened in Normandy in September 2025 and builds on investments in Asia and the Americas, linking research centres in China, South Korea, Japan and the United States.
- Project funding includes support from the French Research Tax Credit (Crédit d’Impôt Recherche) and the French State under the France 2030 program.
Project scope
Arkema is investing €10 million to expand its Global Battery Center of Excellence located in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The centre’s footprint will be tripled and its research infrastructure modernized, with a significant increase in the digitalization of R&D activities.
R&D network and technical aims
The expansion strengthens a global R&D network that combines the French site’s expertise with research centres in China, South Korea, Japan and the United States. It follows the inauguration of a Normandy laboratory dedicated to solvent-free electrode manufacturing in September 2025 and recent investments in Asia and the Americas.
The facility is positioned as Arkema’s reference platform for developing advanced materials for current and next-generation batteries. Researchers will replicate cell manufacturers’ production conditions to anticipate implementation constraints and accelerate integration of Arkema’s materials into production, targeting higher energy density, faster charging and improved safety.
Funding
The implementation of the project was enabled in part by the French Research Tax Credit (Crédit d’Impôt Recherche) and by support from the French State under the France 2030 program.
Source: Arkema