Project description
Nature-inspired energy storage solution for modern technologies
Energy storage is essential for powering modern technologies, but current solutions including batteries and supercapacitors present limitations. These issues relate to stability, scalability and use in sensitive environments. Inspired by biological systems, the ERC-funded Capion project aims to create a groundbreaking energy storage system that uses stable ion gradients to store and supply energy. Building on earlier research, Capion aims to develop a self-contained energy module that can power devices for at least a month without recharging. With its unique mechanism and sustainable design, Capion’s system could transform energy storage for healthcare, embedded electronics and autonomous sensing, offering a cleaner, more adaptable alternative to traditional methods.
Objective
CAPION will develop a novel ion-gradient-based bioelectrochemical energy storage system, leveraging biologically inspired components to overcome the limitations of conventional batteries and supercapacitors. As society moves toward increased electrification, miniaturisation and sustainability, the demand for low-voltage, compact, and environmentally neutral energy solutions is growing rapidly, particularly in healthcare, embedded electronics and autonomous sensing applications. Existing energy storage technologies, however, rely on redox chemistry or physical adsorption, which limits their stability, scalability and integration in sensitive or confined environments. CAPION addresses this bottleneck by developing a biologically based energy system that stores and supplies energy using stable ion gradients. The project builds on the PI’s ERC Advanced Grant Energion, which demonstrated the feasibility of vesicle-based energy generation using membrane proteins and bioinspired architectures. CAPION will validate the integration of this system into a self-contained energy module that can power a representative electronic device continuously for at least one month, without external recharging nor self-discharging. With its unique mechanism and sustainable design, CAPION holds strong potential to unlock new use cases where conventional energy storage is unsuitable.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
38058 GRENOBLE
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.