MoS₂-ZIBNext project achieves 97.4% evaluation score in competitive Horizon Europe program
BatteryLab at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, has been awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship under the Horizon Europe program. The two-year project, titled MoS₂-ZIBNext, received an exceptional evaluation score of 97.4% and will bring €250,000 in funding to support advanced research in next-generation battery technologies.
What the project will do
The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship program supports the most talented early-career researchers in Europe, providing funding for postdoctoral positions that combine excellent science with international mobility and training. MoS₂-ZIBNext will focus on the mechanistic understanding and development of molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂)-based materials for zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) — an emerging alternative to lithium-ion technology that offers significant advantages in safety, cost, and environmental sustainability.
Zinc-ion batteries use abundant, non-toxic materials and operate in aqueous electrolytes, making them safer and more sustainable than lithium-ion cells. However, understanding how electrode materials like MoS₂ behave during repeated charge-discharge cycles remains a critical challenge. This project will combine advanced materials synthesis, electrochemical diagnostics, and structural characterization to address fundamental questions about zinc storage mechanisms and material stability.
International collaboration and secondments
The project will be implemented at BatteryLab within the Institute of Electronics and Photonics at FEI STU, under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Miroslav Mikolášek. A key component of the fellowship is international mobility: the postdoctoral researcher will complete secondments at two leading European institutions — the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of Twente in the Netherlands. These partnerships will provide access to cutting-edge characterization techniques and electrochemical testing facilities that complement BatteryLab's existing infrastructure.
Strengthening battery research in Slovakia
This grant represents a significant milestone for BatteryLab and for battery research in Slovakia. MSCA fellowships are among the most competitive research grants in Europe, with success rates typically below 15%. The project's high evaluation score reflects both the scientific quality of the proposal and the strength of the research environment at FEI STU.
By hosting an internationally recruited postdoctoral researcher, the project will expand BatteryLab's expertise in advanced energy storage materials and further integrate the group into European and global research networks. It also demonstrates the lab's capacity to compete for top-tier funding and attract excellent researchers to Slovakia.
Acknowledgments
The proposal preparation process was supported by Addsen, whose expertise contributed to the project's successful evaluation. The project is expected to begin in [insert expected start date if known], with recruitment for the postdoctoral position opening in the coming months.
For more information about the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program and the 2024 funding results, visit the European Commission announcement.