“De la Batería al Potencial” is an open innovation call for iniciatives related to the recycling and reuse of lithium-ion batteries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The initiative is led and funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and managed by the consulting firm IDOM in partnership with Sikuani.

The profile of participants can be varied, including researchers, professors, research groups, companies, startups, or other types of organizations with solutions, projects, prototypes or business models related to one or more of the challenges described in the platform and related to the recycling and reuse of lithium-ion batteries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

We are looking for solutions, projects, prototypes or business models that have reached a certain level of technological development: Level 4 (TRL 4) for academic participants, which means that the technology has been validated in a laboratory environment, and Level 5 (TRL 5) for business participants or startups, which means that the components of the solution have been validated in a relevant environment. To learn more about the TRL classification, please visit the following link: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/458490main_trl_definitions.pdf?emrc=da53fb

In order for solutions to advance to the evaluation phase and compete to be one of the winners, they must meet the following qualifying criteria: present an initiative that addresses at least one of the proposed challenges; at least one team member must be available for 15-20 hours of asynchronous activities; they must be able to present their proposal in Spanish and English; the initiative must originate and have application in Latin America and the Caribbean; and initiatives that have a current relationship with the IDB or have had such a relationship in the last 6 months will not be accepted.

The initiative submission period begins on January 8 and ends on February 21, 2025.

Benefits for winning solvers include a strengthening program in key areas such as business models, circular economy, brand development and investment communications. In addition, consulting spaces will be offered to address specific needs. Winners will be supported by the IDB, which will allow them to connect with other opportunities that create spaces for strengthening or value creation. In addition, winners will have the opportunity to present their initiative in a Demo Day to a group of relevant stakeholders in the lithium value chain and innovation in the region, including investors, companies requiring the initiative, potential customers, and accelerators. To learn more about the benefits, please visit the benefits section of the current page.

No, while the call offers benefits such as exposure to key players in the lithium battery ecosystem and the opportunity to participate in other acceleration processes, access to investment is not guaranteed. The opportunity to access investment may come from private investment funds outside of the call organizers.

Participating initiatives must meet the eligibility criteria to be evaluated. Initiatives will be evaluated by a panel of expert judges who will consider the following five aspects to identify the proposals with the greatest potential to address the defined challenges: impact, replicability, feasibility, adaptability, and team. For more information on these criteria, we invite you to visit the Evaluation Criteria section of this page.

If you are having trouble registering your initiative, you can send an e-mail to informacion@delabateriaalpotencial.com with “Consultation” in the subject line. It will take us 1 to 2 business days to respond to your request.

The call will be developed virtually because of its interregional nature, covering Latin America and the Caribbean. The virtual nature will allow interested parties from different countries to actively participate in the planned activities.

The call will be available in Spanish and English, so it is possible to submit initiatives in either language.