India’s battery recycling sector received a significant policy boost on 5 May 2026, when the Government of India and the European Union jointly announced a ₹169 crore (~€15.2 million) initiative to accelerate EV battery recycling, and opened a competitive call for proposals that any Indian startup, company, or research institution can apply to. The deadline is 15 September 2026.
For recyclers, researchers, and cleantech companies working in this space, this is the most consequential funding programme announced in India this year. Here is exactly what it covers, what it requires, and what it signals for the sector.
What the India–EU Battery Recycling Initiative Actually Funds
The initiative was launched under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Working Group 2 on Green and Clean Energy Technologies — a bilateral strategic platform that has been operational since February 2023. This is its third coordinated call for proposals, and the first focused exclusively on EV battery recycling.
The combined funding of €15.2 million is split between two sources. The EU component flows through Horizon Europe – the bloc’s flagship research and innovation programme. The Indian component is funded by the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). Both sides contribute to a single, joint programme with coordinated targets.
The call reference is HORIZON-CL5-2026-09-D2-04 — the identifier to use when submitting through the EU’s funding portal.
The initiative will fund four specific technology areas:
High-efficiency material recovery. Projects targeting improved recovery rates for lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and manganese from end-of-life Li-ion batteries. Battery-grade output , not just black mass is the stated goal.
Mixed chemistry handling. Recycling processes capable of handling multiple battery chemistries (NMC, LFP, NCA) within a single workflow. This is increasingly critical as India’s EV market runs both NMC (Ola Electric) and LFP (Tata, BYD-assembled) cell chemistries simultaneously.
Safe and digitalised collection systems. Logistics infrastructure that integrates the informal sector, enables battery tracking, and meets safety standards for transport and storage of end-of-life cells.
Second-life applications and safety. Projects exploring repurposing of batteries for stationary storage before final recycling, with clear safety protocols for both phases.
A key structural feature of this call is the requirement for a joint India-EU pilot line in India — a real-world industrial facility that validates the developed technology at scale. This distinguishes the programme from desk research: the output must be demonstrated, not just published.
Who Can Apply
The call is open to companies, SMEs, startups, research institutions, universities, and other organisations from both the EU and India. There is no minimum company size requirement specified.
The critical eligibility condition is that proposals must be jointly developed by EU and Indian consortia — meaning Indian applicants need a qualifying European partner, and vice versa. Proposals must demonstrate balanced participation, common targets, and coordinated implementation.
The technology readiness level (TRL) target is 7–8, which means the programme expects applicants to already have a working technology at a meaningful scale — not laboratory-stage concepts. For Indian recyclers with operational processes, this requirement is an advantage: it filters out early-stage competitors and rewards proven industrial capability.
What This Means for India’s Recycling Sector
The timing of this initiative is directly connected to the structural gap India faces in battery recycling capacity. India’s current recycling capacity stands at around 2 GWh, while potential demand could reach 128 GWh by 2030 — bridging that gap requires a nearly 60-fold expansion in capacity within a decade.
As India’s EV market continues its rapid expansion, creating a robust domestic recycling ecosystem is essential for resource security and environmental commitments. The India–EU initiative is the first bilateral programme to put significant institutional capital behind solving that problem.
For Indian recyclers specifically, the programme creates three distinct opportunities beyond the direct funding: access to European technology and process partners, validation at TRL 7–8 that serves as a credibility signal for domestic investors and OEM customers, and a documented government relationship that strengthens EPR and compliance positioning.
The September 15 deadline gives Indian recycling companies approximately three months to identify an EU consortium partner and develop a joint proposal. Given the competitive nature of Horizon Europe calls, early engagement with potential EU partners is essential — the application process is substantive.
MiniMines’ Position
At MiniMines, our proprietary HYBRID-HYDROMETALLURGY™ process already operates at a demonstrated scale, recovering battery-grade critical minerals from end-of-life Li-ion batteries across multiple chemistries. The India–EU initiative’s focus areas, mainly high-efficiency recovery, mixed chemistry handling, and pilot-scale demonstration align directly with what we do and where we are building.
If your organisation, whether a research institution, an EU technology partner, or an Indian OEM is interested in applying, click here.
The window is open until 15 September 2026.
