We are proud to announce that Ecolyte has been awarded the EU Innovation Radar Prize 2025 in the “Climate, Energy & Mobility” category by the European Commission! At the award ceremony in Lisbon, held at the Unicorn Factory’s AI Hub alongside the Web Summit Investor Day, Ecolyte’s IonLeaf membrane was highlighted as a key enabler of the green transition. Lukas Pachernegg-Mair presented Ecolyte’s paper-based, PFAS-free and sustainable membrane whose production is about to be scaled up to an industrial level.
What began as a research project at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has evolved into one of Europe’s most promising deep-tech success stories, paving the way for more sustainable energy systems across batteries, electrolyzers, and water treatment applications.
With his lecture “Dynamic Nuclear Polarization and In-situ Solid-State NMR – Powerful Tools to Study Local Structures and Processes in Functional Materials.” Torsten Gutmann received the Felix Bloch Lecture Award 2025. He highlighted NMR’s role in developing sustainable materials and renewable energy-storage, including redox flow batteries. In addition to some price money, Torsten is now invited to give several lectures across Germany to further share his research findings! Congrats!
Stefan joined leading experts to share insights from research, industry and startups at the FFG Forum 2025 in Vienna. At the center of the discussion: battery technology as a key to sustainability and competitiveness. The region of Styria is positioning itself as a strategic hub for battery innovation and Vanilla Flow is proud to be part of it!
Dieter represented Vanilla Flow at the Austrian Technology Talks 2025 on September 11 in Vienna! It was an amazing opportunity to exchange ideas with innovators and policymakers from all over the country. Inspiring discussions about AI and sustainable energy storage solutions, among others with LR Willibald Ehrenhöfer (image).
Lukas Pachernegg-Mair @ IFBF - International Flow Battery Forum
Pioneering sustainable solutions: our Lukas showcased bio-based membrane technology at the IFBF in Vienna!
Source: Lukas Pachernegg-Mair (LinkedIn)
With significant contributions from our Vanillaflow Team, a new publication was recently released, highlighting how in situ and in operando analyses aid in monitoring chemical processes in redox flow batteries.
Source: Monitoring chemical processes in redox flow batteries employing in situ and in operando analyses. A Alem, P Poormehrabi, J Lins, L Pachernegg-Mair, C Brandl, V Ruiz, E Ventosa, S Spirk, T Gutmann
Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, 18, 7373-7401
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE01311A
Portfolio Meeting on MLDES in Aarhus, Denmark
A great opportunity for Stefan Spirk and Stefan Pachmajer to meet the EIC managers and to network with the other projects!
Heinzel-Mondi-Sappi Award for Julian Selinger
Julian Selinger received the Heinzel-Mondi-Sappi Award, a huge recognition for his research on form-stable paper separators. The awarded project was carried out in collaboration with the Graz University of Technology (TU) and the Aalto University.
Source: Julian Selinger (LinkedIn)
Source: Austropapier – Daniel Schaler
VanillaFlow - Journey Towards a Sustainable Future
Join us on an inspiring journey with VanillaFlow, where innovation meets sustainability. VanillaFlow is redefining the future by combining cutting-edge technology with eco-friendly practices. Learn about our mission to create lasting, positive impact on the environment, and the dedication of the passionate individuals behind our vision.
EIC Pathfinder: Mid to Long Term Energy Storage
The EIC Pathfinder Portfolio on Mid to Long Term Energy Storage supports pioneering research into innovative energy storage solutions for extended durations. It funds ambitious and high-potential projects aimed at enhancing the use of renewable energy and ensuring a secure and efficient energy supply. Our team is honored to be part of this portfolio, collaborating with leading researchers and organizations to develop novel advancements in energy storage.
Source: EIC Pathfinder
Anna Semenko @ IFBF - International Flow Battery Forum
We are thrilled to announce that Anna has won the ‘Highly Commended’ award for her 1-minute speed pitch at the International Flow Battery Forum (IFBF) in Glasgow!
Congratulations, Anna, on this well-deserved recognition! We are incredibly proud to have you on our team.
Source: IFBF – International Flow Battery Forum (LinkedIn)
Source: Anna Semenko (LinkedIn)
ECOS 2024, Rhodes Greece
VanillaFlow was excited to participate in the 37th ECOS 2024 conference held in Rhodes, Greece, from June 30 to July 5. We proudly showcased our VanillaFlow Project, with Stefan Spirk presenting the workshop:
“VanillaFlow: Advancing Sustainable Energy Storage with AI-Enhanced Flow Battery Technologies.”
We extend our gratitude to the EIC for organizing this exceptional platform for sharing ideas and fostering connections.
Source: ecos2024
General VanillaFlow Meeting 11.4 to 12.4.2024 in Graz, Austria
The General Vanillaflow Meeting was held from April 11 to 12 at the Hotel Gollner in Graz, bringing together 31 participants from the five consortium members.
The two-day event featured productive discussions on individual work packages and a vibrant hackathon focused on stack design.
We were honored to host Minister Polaschek (Education, Science and Research) and Rektor Kainz (@tugraz ) who were visiting our VanillaFlow project!
“Martin Polaschek, Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research, has visited Graz University of Technology today. At Campus Inffeldgasse, he got to see the sustainable vanillin electricity storage system developed by the team led by Ulrich Hirn and Stefan Spirk from the Institute of Bioproducts and Paper Technology. Spirk explained to the Minister the operation of the redox flow battery, which is based on the aromatic substance vanillin and does not require any environmentally harmful materials.
“This innovation shows once again: science and research not only create the basis for pioneering technologies, but are also crucial for solving the most pressing challenges of our time, such as climate change or energy scarcity,” Polaschek said during his visit.
Rector Harald Kainz added: “VanillaFlow is a wonderful example of interdisciplinary research and development work that brings together sustainability and entrepreneurial thinking. I am very optimistic that the team around Stefan Spirk and Ulrich Hirn will make a relevant contribution to the decarbonisation of the energy system in the future with the Vanillin electricity storage system”.
Source: TU Graz Press Announcement
In 2020, Stefan Spirk from the Institute of Bioproducts and Paper Technology at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) described the research achievement with which he and his team had succeeded as a ‘groundbreaking success in the field of sustainable energy storage technologies’ to make redox flow batteries more environmentally friendly.
Den blumig-süßen Duft von Vanillin kennt man von Backwaren wie Vanillekipferl oder Eiscreme und anderen Desserts. Manchmal findet der Aromastoff aber auch außergewöhnlichere Anwendungen. Etwa als Elektrolyt-Material für Flüssigbatterien – sogenannte Redox-Flow-Batterien. Diese können große Energiemengen speichern und eignen sich für eine unterbrechungsfreie Energieversorgung, etwa in Spitälern oder Kraftwerken. (FutureZone)
Die Hardware für künftige Stromspeicher wächst möglicherweise schon in den Wäldern – und riecht nach Vanille. Forschende der TU Graz wollen mit Lignin, das ein wesentlicher Bestandteil der Pflanzenwand und zugleich eine elektrochemisch aktive Verbindung ist, die Herstellung nachhaltiger Energiespeicher ermöglichen. Vanillin aus der Papierindustrie und KI spielen dabei eine Rolle. (Kronen Zeitung)
Die Hardware für künftige Stromspeicher wächst möglicherweise schon in den Wäldern – und riecht nach Vanille. Forschende der TU Graz wollen mit Lignin, das ein wesentlicher Bestandteil der Pflanzenwand und zugleich eine elektrochemisch aktive Verbindung ist, die Herstellung nachhaltiger Energiespeicher ermöglichen. Vanillin aus der Papierindustrie spielt dabei eine Rolle, KI auch – und der Europäische Innovationsrat unterstützt das Projekt mit rund 4,6 Millionen Euro. (derstandard)