India–EU Launch €15.2 Mn EV Battery Recycling Call to Secure Critical Minerals, Boost Circular Economy, and Strengthen Green Tech Ties

India and the European Union have jointly launched a €15.2 million (~₹169 crore) call for proposals under the Trade & Technology Council (TTC) to advance EV battery recycling technologies, with submissions open until 15 September 2026. This initiative aims to secure critical minerals, accelerate the circular economy, and strengthen India–EU green innovation ties.

The goal is to recycle old electric vehicle (EV) batteries so that valuable minerals like lithium, cobalt, and graphite can be reused instead of wasted. With this, India won’t have to rely as much on buying minerals from other countries. Recycling batteries reduces pollution and supports a greener future.

Researchers, industries, and startups from both India and Europe will work together, creating opportunities in technology and manufacturing.

• Launch Date: 5 May 2026
• Submission Deadline: 15 September 2026
• Funding Pool: €15.2 million (~₹169 crore)
• EU Component: Horizon Europe programme
• India Component: Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI)

Strategic Objectives

• Critical Mineral Security: Reduce dependence on imports by recycling lithium, cobalt, and graphite.
• Circular Economy Transition: Accelerate sustainable reuse and recovery of EV battery materials.
• Industrial Deployment: Establish a joint India–EU pilot line in India for real-world validation.
• Innovation Ecosystem: Connect researchers, industries, and startups across both regions.
• Climate Commitments: Support India’s net-zero targets and EU’s Green Deal goals.

Strategic Overview

Objective	Strategic Impact
Mineral Security	Ensures resilient supply chains for lithium, cobalt, graphite
Circular Economy	Promotes sustainable recycling and reuse of EV batteries
Pilot Deployment	Validates innovative recycling processes at industrial scale
Innovation Collaboration	Strengthens India–EU research and startup partnerships
Climate Alignment	Advances shared net-zero and green transition goals

Focus Areas

• High recovery rates of lithium, graphite, cobalt
• Handling mixed battery chemistries
• Safe, digitalised collection systems
• Inclusive logistics integrating informal sector
• Second-life applications with strict safety standards

Funding Overview

Contributor	Programme	Funding
European Union	Horizon Europe	€15.2m (shared)
Government of India	Ministry of Heavy Industries	₹169 crore (shared)

Leadership Remarks

• Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood (PSA, Govt of India): “A pivotal moment in the India–EU strategic partnership.”
• H.E. Hervé Delphin (EU Ambassador): “Batteries sit at the core of the green transition.”
• Dr. Parvinder Maini (Scientific Secretary, PSA): “Catalyses momentum for a digitalized, inclusive logistics model.”
• Marc Lemaître (DG RTD, European Commission): “Strengthening bond in green innovation and resilient value chains.”

Global Significance

• Supports India’s net-zero commitments and EU’s Green Deal
• Strengthens bilateral research cooperation under TTC Working Group 2
• Positions India as a hub for advanced recycling technologies

Next Steps

• Proposal submissions open until 15 September 2026
• Pilot demonstrations to showcase innovative recycling processes
• Long-term vision: resilient supply chain for critical minerals

TraceX Launches AI Tool to Streamline EU Deforestation Regulation Compliance for AgriFood Exporters

TraceX Technologies, an AgriFood and ClimateTech startup, has launched an Agentic AI Tool to automate and simplify end-to-end compliance with EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) that comes into effect from December 2025.

EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) mandates that any product exported to the EU should be legally sourced and deforestation-free. Non EU Exporters and EU Importers of commodities such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, wood and wood based products, rubber and cattle products, have to submit traceability proofs, verified plot-level geolocation data, Due Diligence Statement (DDS), and digital records for audits. Failing to do so can lead to shipment rejections, financial penalties of up to 4% of annual turnover in the EU and reputational damage.

A report by Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) indicates that Indian exports worth USD 1.3 billion are likely to be impacted due to the new regulations. Among the most affected are agriculture products such as coffee, oil cake, and forest-derived products that include paper, wood furniture, leather hides, etc. Many exporters, particularly small and medium sized companies, are struggling with high compliance costs, challenges in providing traceability proofs, and supply chain complexities.

The existing process for the submission of the Due Diligence Statement (DDS) is done through manual procedures that require field agents, spreadsheet entries and time-intensive workflows that are prone to errors. TraceX’s agentic AI tool automates these processes through interventions such as auto-parsing of supplier emails and documents for KYC, AI-validated geolocation, risk assessment via global earth observation data sets flagging high-risk suppliers or non-compliant plots before shipment, integration with the existing legacy applications, auto-generated Due Diligence Statements (DDS) that match EU TRACES formats, and Real time EU regulatory and technical updates. It cuts down DDS preparation time by up to 80%.

Commenting on the new tool, Srivatsa Sreenivasarao, Founder and CEO, TraceX, said, “While some of this functionality existed in our legacy platform, we have further added more capabilities to it by integrating advanced AI technologies to make the experience more seamless and efficient for non-EU exporters and EU Importers. The EU Deforestation Regulation presents significant economic implications for Indian exporters due to complex compliance requirements that currently need manual intervention. Managing this across fragmented, smallholder-heavy supply chains often results in data silos, manual bottlenecks, inconsistent assessments, and missed regulatory updates. Our Agentic AI Tool automates all the processes, cuts down on turnaround time, improves accuracy and reduces compliance costs”

For more information about the tool, visit https://tracextech.com/eudr-compliance-platform/

About TraceX

TraceX Technologies is a global AgriFood and ClimateTech providing comprehensive solutions to address critical challenges in supply chain traceability, sustainability, carbon management, and regulatory compliance( EUDR, CSRD,CS3D) Their innovative platform combines AI and blockchain technology with satellite monitoring and advanced reporting tools, enabling businesses to improve operational efficiency, build trust with stakeholders, and meet global sustainability standards.

Website: https://tracextech.com/

HCLTech Signs EU's AI Pact to Drive Responsible AI

HCLTech, a leading global technology company, has signed the European Commission's AI Pact, reinforcing its commitment to the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies internally and with clients.

The European Commission's AI Pact is a voluntary initiative designed to help organizations prepare for compliance with the EU AI Act before its full implementation. It encourages companies to adopt responsible AI practices, focusing on safety, transparency, and human oversight.

The pact mandates signatory organizations to take proactive steps to align with the Act's emphasis on safety, transparency and human oversight. Over 100 companies have already pledged to align EU Commission's AI strategies with the Act’s principles. Companies commit to proactive measures, such as mapping high-risk AI systems and promoting AI literacy among employees.

"As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, it's important that this technology is leveraged responsibly. By signing this pact, we're reinforcing our commitment to trustworthy development, deployment and use of AI systems and technologies, thus ensuring that they truly benefit society while minimizing risks and promoting transparency," said Heather Domin, Vice President, Responsible AI and Governance at HCLTech.

By joining this initiative, HCLTech has committed to:Adopting an AI governance strategy to foster the uptake of AI in the organization and work towards future compliance with the AI Act Identifying and mapping AI systems likely to be categorized as high-risk under the AI Act Promoting AI awareness and literacy among employees, ensuring ethical and responsible AI development

HCLTech has long embedded responsible AI practices across its operations, providing guardrails for accountability, fairness, security, privacy and transparency, enabling responsible use of the technology. To enable responsible AI practices internally and with clients, HCLTech has established an Office of Responsible AI and Governance. This office drives the implementation and innovation of responsible AI practices within HCLTech and capabilities in products and services.

For further information, please visit: https://www.hcltech.com/responsible-ai#responsible-ai

Microsoft Charged with Antitrust Violation by the EU for 'Microsoft Teams'

The European Union (EU) has accused Microsoft of violating antitrust rules by bundling its Teams messaging and videoconferencing app with core office productivity applications like Office 365 and Microsoft 365. The EU suspects that Microsoft may have granted Teams an "undue advantage" by not giving customers a choice when purchasing the software. Additionally, limits on rival messaging apps working with Microsoft software may have widened this advantage.

The EU's executive vice-president for competition policy, Margrethe Vestager, expressed concern about preserving competition in remote communication and collaboration tools. Microsoft now has a chance to respond before the final decision is made. This marks the first antitrust charge against Microsoft in the EU in 15 years.

"The European Commission has informed Microsoft of its preliminary view that Microsoft has breached EU antitrust rules by tying its communication and collaboration product Teams to its popular productivity applications included in its suites for businesses Office 365 and Microsoft 365," the European Commission — the EU's executive arm — said in a Statement of Objections, which is sent to inform companies of concerns raised against them.

Last year the tech giant unbundled Teams from Microsoft 365 in an effort to quash antitrust concerns by the EU, but the European Commission said the changes were "insufficient to address its concerns."

Microsoft said Tuesday it would work to find solutions to address the commission's additional concerns.

This recent antitrust charge against Microsoft by the European Union is related to previous cases. It's the first such charge in 15 years, and it focuses on Microsoft bundling its Teams app with core office productivity software, potentially giving it an "undue advantage" in the market. The EU aims to ensure fair competition in remote communication and collaboration tools .

In 2001, the U.S. government accused Microsoft of illegally monopolizing the web browser market for Windows. The case revolved around Microsoft's bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows, restricting users' ability to uninstall it and use other browsers like Netscape and Java. The initial trial found Microsoft's actions unlawful under the Sherman Antitrust Act, but the Court of Appeals partially overturned that judgment. Eventually, Microsoft reached a settlement that led to modifications in its business practices. In the 1990s, U.S. federal regulators sued Microsoft, alleging monopolistic behavior in the personal computer market.

More recently, the U.S. government brought antitrust cases against Microsoft to block its acquisition of game developer Activision and against Google to divest some of its advertising businesses³.

These cases reflect the ongoing scrutiny of Microsoft's practices and their impact on competition in the tech industry.

EU To Impose Its First Ever Fine on Apple Inc, of About €500 Mn

A recent report by the Financial Times (FT) said that European Union (EU) is to impose its first ever fine on Apple Inc. for allegedly breaking EU law over access to its music streaming services. EU started investigating Apple Inc in 2020, after Swedish streaming platform Spotify complained, in 2019, that Apple’s policies muted competition against Apple Music.

Citing five people with direct knowledge of this long-running investigation, the FT report said that the fine is in the region of €500 million ( ~ US$ 539 million) and is expected to be announced early next month. The fine, which is yet to be announced officially, is the culmination of a European Commission antitrust probe into whether Apple has used its own platform to favour its services over those of competitors.

The probe is investigating whether Apple blocked apps from informing iPhone users of cheaper alternatives to access music subscriptions outside the App Store. It was launched after music-streaming app Spotify made a formal complaint to EU regulators in 2019.

The FT report further said that the EU commission will ban Apple's practice of blocking music services from letting users outside its App Store switch to cheaper alternatives. Brussels will accuse Apple of abusing its powerful position and imposing anti-competitive trading practices on rivals.

Apple has never been fined for antitrust infringements by Brussels, the administrative centre of the EU. Though in March 2020, France’s competition authority, the Autorité de la Concurrence, has fined Apple €1.1 billion (around $1.2 billion) for illegally restricting how wholesalers sell Apple products. However later in 2022, French authorities dropped that to about $366 million after Apple made an appeal.

In 2021, Brussels formally charged Apple in the anti-competitive probe but last year the commission narrowed the scope of the investigation and abandoned the charge wherein Apple was allegedly pushing developers to use its own in-app payment system.

The tiff between Apple and Spotify isn't new as earlier in July 2015, Spotify launched an email campaign to urge its App Store subscribers to cancel their subscriptions and start new ones through its website, bypassing the 30% transaction fee for in-app purchases required for iOS applications by Apple Inc. Later, Apple responded to this by rejecting Spotify app update on iOS. In the following months, Spotify joined several other companies in filing a letter with the EU's antitrust body indirectly accusing Apple and Google of "abusing their 'privileged position' at the top of the market".

Moreover, Spotify was one of the first companies to support Epic Games in their lawsuit against Apple, which was filed after Epic also tried to bypass Apple's 30% fee for microtransactions in Fortnite. In September 2020, Spotify, Epic, and other companies founded The Coalition for App Fairness, which aims for better conditions for the inclusion of apps in app stores

Google and Goldman Sachs Partner with Infobip to Launch Mentorship Program for Startups of the Youngest EU Member Country

Aerial Photo of a Croatian  Island [Photo by Palo Cech from Pexels]

US-based tech and finance leaders eyeing Croatia as the next European Silicon Valley

16 Croatian startups included in the Scale|Croatia mentorship program now have access to the best tech and financial experts advising them on the development of their businesses

Infobip is the bridge between the vibrant Croatian startup ecosystem and the global leaders

US-based Google and Goldman Sachs today announced a new partnership with Infobip to launch an innovative mentorship program for startups from Croatia, the youngest EU member state with a population of more than 4 million. The country already has created its first two unicorns and its potent startup community is increasingly standing out in the Southeastern Europe region, and within the EU. Infobip, the leading global cloud communications platform, is one of the examples of a successful startup that started in small Croatia and reached unicorn status.

Google and Goldman Sachs recognized Infobip as a leader in the tech ecosystem in Croatia and the region. The Scale|Croatia joint mentorship program is open to all Croatian-based startups from Infobip’s Startup Tribe program. In the first year of Scale|Croatia, founders from 16 Croatian startups have received access to a 4-month mentorship program, enabling even faster and better-quality development and scaling of their businesses.

“Jigsaw is honored to participate in the Scale|Croatia mentorship program to further develop the tech ecosystem in this emerging European hub. We look forward to continuing to partner with emerging leaders of innovative companies in the region,” said Scott Carpenter, Director at Google Jigsaw.

Startup founders will get dedicated mentors from Google and Goldman Sachs with whom they can consult on various aspects of business development - product development, fundraising, marketing, sales and other fields.

“We decided to pilot this project with Croatian startups as we noticed a pattern of almost unlikely - but outstanding success stories. The data shows remarkable results for the up-and-coming Croatian tech sector. Croatia seems to be on a path that’s very similar to Estonia and Israel in the earlier days of their ecosystem, so the timing to engage with this particular group of young entrepreneurs feels very opportune“, said Jared Cohen, Co-Head of Applied Innovation and President of Global Affairs at Goldman Sachs.

Among the 16 startups from Croatia, Osijek-based Orqa stands out - a world leader in developing FPV goggles for drone pilots, and other startups developing products.

"We are very pleased that through Scale|Croatia we can help Croatian startups to more easily reach global leaders such as Google and Goldman Sachs. The fact that such large companies recognized the potential of our startup ecosystem is validation for us at Infobip, but also an important honor for the tech sector in Croatia, which positions itself as a new European tech hub, the European Silicon Valley alike. I wish much luck to all startups in the program and I am convinced that they will use all the opportunities it brings them,” concluded Nikola Pavešić, Director of Startups at Infobip.

The program was launched in June with an on-site event in New York City, attended by the majority of the 16 startup founders. The on-site kick-off was held in both Offices of Goldman Sachs and Google, where participants had an opportunity to listen to experienced speakers from both companies.

"The program opened access to a completely new level of expertise for Croatian startups, which unfortunately cannot be found at home. To be specific, we found it extremely useful to gauge the experience of Google in the field of product management, as well as the experience that Goldman Sachs has in listing tech companies on world stock exchanges. We are extremely grateful to Infobip and the Infobip Startup Tribe for everything they are doing for the regional startup ecosystem, and I hope that other large local companies will be inspired by this", said Srđan Kovačević, co-founder and CEO of Orqa.

Currently, the startups are halfway through the program, and positive results have already been reported. The Scale series, if proves successful with the Croatia edition, it will serve as a blueprint for other regions across the globe as well.

“We are very pleased that, through the Scale|Croatia, we can help domestic startups reach global leaders such as Google and Goldman Sachs, which ten years ago - when I was personally running my startup, was nearly impossible. Now with programs like this, this is no longer the case, and I am extremely proud that we at Infobip now serve as a bridge for all startups in the region to connect to the world’s center of the tech industry", concluded Ivan Burazin, Chief Developer Experience Officer at Infobip.

About Infobip

Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobip’s omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact center solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty. With over a decade of industry experience, Infobip has expanded to 70+ offices across six continents. It offers natively built technology with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and ‘things’ in 190+ countries connected directly to over 700 telecom networks. Infobip was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutić, COO Roberto Kutić and CTO Izabel Jelenić.

After GDPR, EU Court now Mandate Sites to Warn about Facebook 'Like' Button

In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect, in order to protect and handle information collected from citizens living in European Union (EU) countries. This made a substantial change in Web and internet industry besides that pop-up that users have to tolerate to proceed with engaging with any internet entity.

Now in a fresh brawl, Europe's top court ruled Monday that online retailers must warn web users that they send personal data to Facebook through the "like" button.

According to the European Court of Justice ruling, a site that embeds the Facebook "like" icon and link on its pages also sends user data to the US web giant.

"It seems that that transmission occurs without that visitor being aware of it and regardless of whether or not he or she is a member of the social network Facebook or has clicked on the 'Like' button," it said.

Under EU data protection law, therefore, a European retailer and the US platform are jointly responsible for gathering the data and sending it to Facebook's Irish subsidiary. Users should therefore be warned and asked to consent to their data being gathered, although the retailer is not responsible for what Facebook does with it later.

"As a result of this case, companies that embed this 'like' button on their website cannot hide behind Facebook any longer," said Monique Goyens, of the European Consumer Organisation. "The decision therefore underlines the right for internet users to always get information on what data are collected and how they are used by websites," she said.

The case was brought by a German consumer protection agency against online clothes site Fashion ID, which embeds a Facebook button to encourage shoppers to publicise its wares.

Bitkom, a German trade federation for online businesses criticised the ruling, saying it would heap costly bureaucracy on firms without enhancing consumer protection.

"With its decision, the ECJ places enormous responsibility on thousands of website operators -- from small travel blogs to online megastores and the portals of large publishers," Bitkom CEA Bernard Rohleder said.

He warned that the decision would go beyond Facebook and effect all social media plug ins, which are important for many firms to expand their reach on the web. (AFP)

European Union to Help Create CoE for 'IoT for Smart Cities' at IIIT-Hyderabad

European Union, through its India-EU ICT Standardisation Cooperation Project, is supporting the creation of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Internet of Things (IoT) for Smart Cities at IIIT-Hyderabad.

As part of the CoE, the EU India project will not only help to design relevant courses on IoT, but will also facilitate capacity building by supporting research collaborations and exchange of experts between India and EU.

With an aim to build a deeper understanding of the standards driven approach for smart cities, and facilitate collaboration between various smart city stakeholders across India and EU, the project will also organise outreach activities such as hackathons, workshops and conferences. These activities would be organised on varied components of IoT including the use of standards such as oneM2M for interoperability for the benefit of public at large.

The CoE brings together faculty from several IIIT-H research centres such as signal processing and communications, embedded systems, data science, computer systems group and domain areas such as building science, spatial informatics, e-governance, and earthquake engineering, thereby facilitating co-operation between different experts on interdisciplinary aspects of IoT for Smart Cities.

The EU as part of the project facilitated an exploratory trip to Estonia of the IIIT-H faculty in January. With a view to strengthen and support developers’ community, CoE has conducted number of trainings including applications of LoRaWAN standard for smart-cities and use of oneM2M in IoT applications. In July, the CoE will undertake a visit to France for enhancing collaboration between Indian and French universities and start-ups working in Toulouse and Bordeaux.

Commenting on this initiative, the coordinator of this CoE Dr Sachin Chaudhari, Assistant Professor, Signal Processing and Communications Research Center, said, “Learnings from our research collaborations, courses and hackathons, conducted as part of this CoE’s activities, will be used to apply smart city solutions in Hyderabad and then the successful models will be replicated across India. Thus, this CoE at IIIT-H, supported by India-EU ICT Standardization Cooperation Project, is expected to trigger a smart city revolution in India in several ways.”

Elaborating on the importance of the CoE, Raimund Magis, Chargé d’Affairesa, said, “Add interoperability and open innovation to IoT and it becomes a game changer which can positively impact millions of lives. The Centre of Excellence at IIIT-H facilitates the latest in IoT, being developed across India and the EU based on global standards, to reach a wider audience. We hope that these deliberations and interactions will further fast track solutions for the Indian smart cities requirements."

This content was first appeared in Express Computer

EU Launches Innovation Platform, Incubator Network in India to Promote Startups, Innovators

The European Union (EU) has launched Innovation Platform in India yesterday at Delhi. The platform is an initiative between India and Europe that seeks to bring together innovators, start-ups and incubators from both sides for interaction. The aim is to foster innovation cooperation between India and Europe.

EU India incubator/accelerator network was also launched, which will be for startups from both the regions to explore opportunities for co-creation of products and solutions that have socio-economic impact for both EU and India.

The incubator/accelerator network will match organisations from both regions and bring relevant organisations together in two networking events in India and two networking events in Europe -- between 2018 and 2020.

This platform will also support and speed up the commitments which the EU and India have taken in the areas -- Clean energy, Circular Energy, Water Partnership and Sustainable Urbanization & Smart Cities.

In addition, participants had an opportunity to exchange views with a panel of EU and Indian authorities and experts on innovation, taking into account each other's ecosystem and strategic agenda. A panel consisting of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Department of Biotechnology for this occasion represented by BIRAC (the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, a Government of India enterprise) NITI Aayog and Invest India, outlined the ecosystem in India and the role and modalities for international cooperation on innovation. Several actors shared their experience and best practices in cooperating between Europe and India.

The Platform meeting listened also to the first findings of the meeting of Incubators from Europe and India who met for two days in Bengaluru on 8 and 9 October 2018 and who all welcomed the opportunity to meet and share ideas on how co-creation can improve and be facilitated. Both learned a lot from each other and considered that support for further interaction and matchmaking would be essential.

As a result of this collaboration between network participants and other stakeholders, the mutual understanding of each region’s innovation system and way of doing business increased among network participants.

Tomasz Kozlowski @EU_Amb_India : Expanding the EU-India🇪🇺🇮🇳 strategic partnership🤝 with the innovation dimension, through the creation of #InnovationPlatform. pic.twitter.com/SxUvxSy2yQ

— EU in India (@EU_in_India) October 11, 2018

From the brainstorming session and different working groups constituted under the Platform, some ideas for further action already emerged. The EU is now committed to pursue the dialogue with India both at the level of the innovation actors from private sector and public sector to see how, for example, co-working space for European starts-ups in India could be organised, co-organise European start-up events in India and bring Indian start-ups to Europe and advocate better innovation framework conditions for European innovators to the Government of India.

On this occasion, EU Ambassador Tomasz Kozlowski said that "Expanding the EU-India strategic partnership with the innovation dimension, through the creation of this Innovation Platform, will strengthen further and modernise the cooperation between Europe and India. He added that this Platform will also support and speed up the commitments which the EU and India have taken in the areas of clean energy, circular energy, water partnership or sustainable urbanisation and smart cities."

Ms Signe Ratso, Deputy Director General, Research and Innovation, European Commission, who is visiting India on this occasion said that she was very impressed with what she has seen and learned on the Indian innovation ecosystem and hoped that following this pilot initiative, "the EU will engage in a dialogue with India to see how both sides can take actions to enhance the EU-India innovation partnership as our leaders mandated to do in October 2017. Engaging together in innovation is investing in the future and speed up the need to find solutions to the real-world problems. She added that the EU-India Incubators and Accelerators Network launched in Bengaluru will create synergies and co-create new innovation to tackle challenges both regions are facing."

The innovation activities launched by the European Union will reinforce European presence and visibility in India in the area of Innovation. It will increase the impact of the European Member States innovation activities and foster access of India for European innovators and entrepreneurs and vice-versa.

Ultimately, innovators from India and Europe will be able to work together, jointly find solutions that will tackle global challenges such as water scarcity, climate change, food and energy security.

To recall, in June this year India's Union science & technology minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, had announced that India will soon have its first international incubator for clean energy, coming up in capital city of Delhi. It is not clear that this EU, India partnership is part of that announcement or not, since no announcement of clean energy incubator has been made yet.

Source - Eeas.europa.eu/delegations/india/