What CIC energiGUNE does

CIC energiGUNE is a non-profit research center based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, focused on electrochemical and thermal energy storage. Founded in 2010 and operating as a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), the center conducts materials research, cell prototyping, and system-level testing across multiple battery and thermal storage chemistries and platforms. Research lines span lithium-ion, solid-state, sodium-ion, and thermal storage, with capabilities ranging from atomic-scale materials characterization to pre-industrial prototyping at the MV/LV scale.

The center's technical infrastructure is anchored by 150+ researchers from approximately 15 nationalities and a publication volume exceeding 700 scientific papers. Reported technical outputs include solid-state electrolyte development, sodium-ion battery chemistry, battery modeling and diagnostics, and AI-driven thermal process optimization with quantified industrial savings (e.g., 8% fuel reduction in cement, 20% energy reduction in forging and automotive). The center holds 15+ patents, is ranked #1 in energy storage in Europe and Latin America by SCImago 2024, is recognized by the European Commission as a battery reference center, and has six researchers in the Stanford University top 2% scientist list.

The business model combines three revenue streams: (1) public funding from Basque, Spanish, and European Union sources; (2) industry contracts and collaborative R&D with corporate partners; and (3) equity stakes and licensing arrangements arising from spin-off companies. Spin-offs include BCARE (battery monitoring and second-life), Basquevolt (solid-state batteries targeting 10 GWh by 2027), ThermLab (thermal management), and collaborative sodium-ion commercialization activities with Bihar Batteries. Named industry partners and customers span Iberdrola, CAF, ArcelorMittal, Sidenor Basauri, Giroa Veolia, Ormazabal, MTorres, Gamesa Electric, Sener, and Cegasa.

Name

CIC energiGUNE

Legal name

CIC energiGUNE

Website

https://cicenergigune.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CIC energiGUNE is a non-profit research center in Vitoria, Spain, conducting materials and systems research for thermal and electrochemical energy storage. It serves industrial partners across energy, mobility, and heavy industry via public funding, industry contracts, and spin-off commercialization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vitoria

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Public Funding: Government funding from Basque, Spanish, and European sources supporting research programs and projects
2. Industry Collaboration Contracts: Direct collaboration with industrial partners on specific research projects and technology development
3. Spin-off Companies: Creating technology-based companies from research outcomes (Basquevolt, BCARE) that commercialize developed technologies

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CIC energiGUNE is a non-profit research center that conducts applied research in materials and systems for thermal and electrochemical energy storage, covering batteries, supercapacitors, and thermal storage solutions. It provides contracted industrial research services, advanced characterization and prototyping services, technology transfer, and creates spin-off companies to commercialize research outcomes.

Product overview

CIC energiGUNE is a research center focused on materials and systems for thermal and electrochemical energy storage. The organization operates as a platform-plus-services model with core research divisions in Electrochemical Storage and Thermal Storage, complemented by specialized application areas (Stationary Storage, Mobility Storage, Portability Storage, Large Scale Storage, Industrial Processes, Thermal Management). The center has spun off three companies: BCARE (battery monitoring), BASQUEVOLT (solid-state batteries targeting 10GWh production by 2027), and ThermLab (thermal management solutions). Services include prototyping and cell manufacturing, post-mortem analysis, corrosion testing, and composition analysis through advanced characterization platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bcare: Spin-off focused on battery health monitoring and digitalization of battery-based storage systems
• Basquevolt
• ThermLab

Products and services

• Electrochemical Storage Research Services Contracted research services in batteries and supercapacitors covering Na-based batteries, metal-air batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, supercapacitors, advanced cathode materials, metal anodes, and solid-state electrolytes for industrial partners.
• Thermal Storage Research Services Contracted research services in thermal energy storage including solid-state chemical reactions, phase transitions, interfacial phenomena, heat transfer intensification, and systems engineering for industry clients.
• Platforms and Facilities Services Characterization and prototyping services including electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, surface analysis, X-ray diffraction, and battery prototyping lines with dry room facilities provided to external clients.
• BCARE Battery Monitoring Solution Battery monitoring and management solution for second-life batteries and stationary storage systems, providing advanced state of health (SoH) diagnosis and degradation mechanism analysis.
• Basquevolt Solid-State Battery Initiative Solid-state battery development initiative for electric mobility applications targeting 10GWh production by 2027.
• ThermLab Thermal Management Solutions Advanced thermal management solutions for electrical components, motors, transformers, electronics, and industrial processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8% fuel savings and 15% NOx reduction in cement industry
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• IberdrolacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Iberdrola has launched Grid4Industry project as part of Industry Plan – Basque Country 2030, with CIC energiGUNE as a technology partner. The €160 million project aims to develop digital electricity grids for industrial electrification involving 62 companies including SMEs.
• Bihar BatteriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Collaboration with Bihar Batteries to advance sodium-ion battery commercialization, building on their first prototype developed with CIC energiGUNE. Partnership aims to create a local industry around sodium batteries using local raw materials.
• NX TechnologiessupportingTechnology or Integration · 29 April 2026San Sebastián-based partner collaborating with Bihar Batteries on sodium-ion battery commercialization with technical support from CIC energiGUNE.
• TecnaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology center partner in Grid4Industry project alongside CIC energiGUNE and Ikerlan for developing digital electricity grids for industrial electrification.
• IkerlancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology center partner in Grid4Industry project alongside CIC energiGUNE and Tecnalia for developing digital electricity grids for industrial electrification.
• CIC NanogunesupportingTechnology or IntegrationQuantum Motion partnering with CIC Nanogune in San Sebastian for quantum system development, creating a quantum computing hub in the Basque Country.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative testing of corrosion mitigation strategies for molten salt applications in energy technologies, including concentrated solar power and molten salt nuclear reactors.
• University of the Basque CountrysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in collaborative research on molten salt corrosion and energy technologies.
• Giroa VeoliasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner collaborating on thermal storage solutions and demonstrators.
• OrmazabalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy sector partner for storage technology collaboration.
• MTorressupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing partner for industrial process collaboration.
• Gamesa ElectricsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy partner for storage solutions collaboration.
• Arcelor MittalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteel industry partner for high temperature industrial waste heat utilization and thermal storage applications.
• SenersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering partner for energy storage technology development.
• CegasasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBattery technology collaboration partner.
• BCAREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIC energiGUNE spin-off focused on battery health monitoring and digitalization of battery-based storage systems, selected by Positive Energy+ platform.
• BasquevoltcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIC energiGUNE spin-off developing solid-state batteries with goal of producing 10GWh by 2027. Included by ICEX among main cleantech startups.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE): Germany's largest applied research organization with significant energy storage, battery, and thermal energy R&D programs. Fraunhofer ISE is a direct peer — CIC energiGUNE has an active collaboration with them on molten salt corrosion, underscoring direct comparability in thermal storage and battery materials research at European scale.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS): Fraunhofer IKTS conducts applied R&D on ceramic materials for solid-state batteries, thermal storage, and energy systems. Directly comparable as a publicly funded applied research center covering both electrochemical and thermal storage, competing for similar EU and industry contracts.
• Argonne National Laboratory (JCESR): Hosts the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), a US DOE-funded flagship energy storage R&D hub. Highly comparable as a publicly funded consortium driving beyond-lithium-ion battery and supercapacitor research with similar scope to CIC energiGUNE's electrochemical storage program.
• Tecnalia Research & Innovation: Spanish/Basque applied research center and BRTA consortium member. Direct peer with significant energy storage and thermal R&D programs; already a co-partner with CIC energiGUNE in Iberdrola's Grid4Industry project.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomatique et aux énergies alternatives): French public R&D organization with major programs in batteries (lithium-ion, solid-state, post-lithium), hydrogen, and thermal energy storage. Direct European peer competing for similar EU R&D funding and industrial partnerships.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch applied research organization with substantial battery materials, hydrogen, and energy systems programs. Direct European peer with similar public funding structure and industry collaboration model.
• Ikerlan: Basque applied research center, fellow BRTA consortium member, and active partner with CIC energiGUNE in the Grid4Industry project. Direct regional peer with overlapping expertise in power electronics, energy storage, and embedded systems.

Emerging players

• EnergyNest (Thermal Energy Storage): Norwegian/Dutch company commercializing thermal battery technology for industrial waste heat recovery. Comparable to CIC energiGUNE's thermal storage industrial processes work; emerging commercial counterpart to the center's research.
• Solid Power: US-listed solid-state battery developer with sulfide-based electrolyte technology. Comparable as a commercial counterpart pursuing solid-state battery scale-up, the same technology area where CIC energiGUNE spin-off Basquevolt operates.
• Northvolt: Swedish battery developer and manufacturer with significant European R&D footprint in lithium-ion and sustainable battery chemistries. Comparable as a European commercial entity in the same energy storage value chain, complementing CIC energiGUNE's research role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC
• Xx.com/energigune_brta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cic-energigune-brta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CIC energiGUNE