RHODIA OPERATIONS

Their core work

Rhodia Operations is the R&D arm of Solvay, one of Europe's largest specialty chemicals groups, headquartered in Lyon. Within H2020, they contribute advanced materials expertise — particularly battery chemistries (lithium-ion, sodium-ion, solid-state), specialty catalysts, and functional materials for energy applications. They bring industrial-scale chemical know-how to collaborative research, bridging the gap between laboratory formulations and manufacturable products. Their involvement spans from electrolyte and electrode material development to safety-by-design strategies for nanomaterials.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015–2018), Rhodia's H2020 work centered on established chemical applications — sodium-ion battery demonstration (NAIADES), OLED materials (SOLEDLIGHT), process intensification (CONSENS), and lifecycle evaluation (STYLE). From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward next-generation battery chemistries (solid-state, high-energy-density Li-ion, Na-ion scale-up) while also branching into AI-driven manufacturing and nanomaterial safety regulation. The trajectory shows a company deepening its battery materials portfolio while adding digital and sustainability dimensions to its industrial research.

Rhodia/Solvay is concentrating on the full battery materials value chain — from sodium-ion to solid-state — while integrating AI tools and safety-by-design principles, positioning for Europe's battery sovereignty push.

How they like to work

Rhodia consistently operates as a contributing partner rather than a project leader — zero coordinator roles across 12 projects, reflecting the typical posture of a large industrial company providing materials expertise and testing capacity to research-driven consortia. With 164 unique partners across 26 countries, they maintain an exceptionally broad network, suggesting they are sought after as an industrial validation partner. Their involvement in both small CSA actions and large RIA consortia indicates flexibility in engagement scale.

With 164 unique consortium partners across 26 countries, Rhodia maintains one of the broader industrial collaboration networks in H2020 advanced materials research. Their partnerships span the full European research landscape without strong geographic concentration.

What sets them apart

As part of the Solvay group, Rhodia brings the rare combination of large-scale chemical manufacturing capability with deep research engagement in battery materials — few industrial partners can offer both formulation expertise and production-relevant validation. Their simultaneous presence across Li-ion, Na-ion, and solid-state battery projects gives them cross-technology insight that most partners in any single project lack. For consortium builders, they represent a credible industrial end-user that can assess commercial viability of new materials at scale.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NAIMA
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 919,600) focused on sodium-ion battery manufacturing for stationary applications — a commercially critical alternative to lithium.
• BIG-MAP
  Part of the Battery Interface Genome initiative building an AI-driven Materials Acceleration Platform — a flagship European battery research effort involving Solvay as a third-party industrial contributor.
• SUBLIME
  Targets Generation 4b solid-state sulfide batteries for electric vehicles with fast charging — directly aligned with Europe's strategic battery roadmap.