SGL CARBON GMBH

Their core work

SGL Carbon is a major German manufacturer of carbon-based products including graphite, carbon fibers, and carbon composites. Within H2020, they contribute advanced carbon and graphite materials to energy storage, fuel cell, and environmental recycling applications. Their role is typically as an industrial materials supplier, providing specialized carbon-based components — electrodes, composites, and graphite materials — to consortia developing batteries, fuel cells, and resource recovery processes. They bridge the gap between raw carbon material science and application-specific product engineering.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SGL Carbon's early H2020 involvement (2016–2019) was broadly spread — contributing carbon materials to water desalination (MIDES) and fuel cell stacks (INSPIRE), reflecting a generalist materials supplier role. From 2019 onward, their focus sharpened dramatically toward battery materials (SPIDER) and circular recovery of silicon and graphite (ICARUS). This shift signals a deliberate pivot toward the fast-growing European battery value chain and raw material security.

SGL Carbon is repositioning toward battery-grade carbon materials and circular raw material recovery — expect future interest in European battery gigafactory supply chains and critical raw materials initiatives.

How they like to work

SGL Carbon participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, which is typical for a large industrial materials supplier contributing specialized components rather than driving research agendas. With 55 unique partners across 18 countries from just 4 projects, they join large, diverse consortia — averaging about 14 partners per project. This makes them an accessible and experienced consortium partner who understands multi-national project dynamics without seeking to dominate project direction.

SGL Carbon has built a broad European network of 55 unique partners across 18 countries through just four projects, indicating they consistently join large, geographically diverse consortia. Their network spans academic, industrial, and research institute partners primarily across Western and Southern Europe.

What sets them apart

SGL Carbon brings industrial-scale carbon and graphite manufacturing capability that most research partners cannot match — they are not a lab, they are a factory. Their dual expertise in both producing virgin carbon materials and recovering them from waste streams (PV silicon, graphite) makes them uniquely positioned at the intersection of battery manufacturing and circular economy. For consortium builders, they offer a credible industrial exploitation pathway: if a project develops a new carbon-based material or process, SGL Carbon can realistically scale it.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SPIDER
  Largest single grant (EUR 600,500) and most keyword-rich project — positions SGL Carbon at the heart of next-generation Li-ion battery chemistry with silicon anodes and sulfur rocksalt cathodes.
• ICARUS
  Most recent project (2021-2025) focused on recovering silicon and graphite from photovoltaic waste — signals SGL Carbon's strategic move into critical raw material circularity.
• INSPIRE
  FCH2-funded fuel cell project that demonstrates SGL Carbon's capability in hydrogen energy stack components beyond batteries.