SCHUNK KOHLENSTOFF-TECHNIK GMBH

Their core work

Schunk Kohlenstoff-Technik GmbH is the carbon and graphite materials division of the Schunk Group, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of technical carbon products. They design and produce carbon-based components and structures for demanding industrial environments — from high-temperature aerospace assemblies to electrochemical systems requiring flexible, durable electrode materials. In H2020 projects they have contributed as a manufacturing specialist: first producing all-oxide ceramic composite structures for aeroengine turbine ducts under Clean Sky 2, then developing flexible carbon-based electrodes for lignin-electrolyte redox flow batteries. Their core industrial value is translating advanced carbon material science into manufacturable, field-ready components.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

From 2015 to 2019, their H2020 activity was anchored entirely in aerospace: manufacturing oxide ceramic composites for aeroengine structures within the Clean Sky 2 programme, a demanding environment requiring precision fabrication of high-temperature structural components. From 2019 onward, they pivoted into energy storage — specifically the BALIHT project on lignin-based organic redox flow batteries, where their contribution centred on flexible carbon-based electrodes optimised for warm environments and heavy cycling. The pattern is consistent: the underlying material (carbon/graphite and oxide ceramics) stays the same, but the application domain is expanding from propulsion into stationary energy storage.

They are systematically moving their carbon materials expertise from aerospace into the energy storage sector, suggesting future collaborations in battery technology, grid-scale storage, or hydrogen system components are a natural fit.

How they like to work

Schunk Kohlenstoff-Technik operates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as project coordinator across their entire H2020 record — a pattern consistent with an industrial manufacturer that contributes specific material components rather than driving research agendas. Their consortia have been moderately sized (14 unique partners across 2 projects), spanning 5 countries, which suggests engagement in well-structured pan-European R&D consortia rather than small bilateral arrangements. For a future partner, expect a reliable industrial specialist who delivers manufactured components or material prototypes on schedule, rather than a research-led organisation pushing novel concepts.

They have worked with 14 unique partners across 5 countries over two projects, a modest but geographically spread network anchored by their Clean Sky 2 and RIA consortia. No repeated partner clusters are visible from this data, suggesting they have diversified across different research communities in aerospace and energy.

What sets them apart

Schunk Kohlenstoff-Technik occupies a rare position as an industrial-scale carbon materials manufacturer with demonstrated R&D project experience in both high-temperature aerospace structures and electrochemical energy storage — two sectors that rarely share the same industrial partner. Unlike university labs or research institutes, they bring manufacturing scalability: prototypes developed in their projects are backed by the full industrial production infrastructure of the Schunk Group. For consortium builders, they represent a direct bridge between materials research and commercial production readiness.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AllOxITD
  The largest funded project at EUR 880,000, delivered under the prestigious Clean Sky 2 Joint Technology Initiative, placing SKT directly in Europe's main aeroengine decarbonisation programme.
• BALIHT
  Demonstrates a strategic diversification into renewable energy storage — combining lignin-derived electrolytes with flexible carbon electrodes — signalling SKT's entry into the fast-growing grid-scale battery market.