INSTITUTION PROFILE / SOLID-STATE BATTERIES
NEDO
The agency that hands out Japan's solid-state battery research money
NEDO is a national research and development agency overseen by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It does not build batteries. Its job is to distribute the government's R&D budget to companies and research organisations, then keep track of how the work is going. If NEDO keeps turning up in our profiles of Toyota, Honda and Nissan, it is because part of each company's solid-state battery development is being carried out as a NEDO project. This profile looks at one question only: how much influence NEDO actually has over solid-state batteries.
- NEDO in 30 seconds
- What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
- What it does for solid-state batteries
- How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
- Where the money goes
- Outlook
- Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit
1. NEDO in 30 seconds
NEDO is not the body that decides what gets researched. It carries out a plan that has already been decided. For the project covering next-generation batteries, including solid-state batteries, NEDO's own press release says it ran the call for proposals "based on the R&D and social implementation plan formulated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry" Sourced. The ministry sets the direction; NEDO runs the calls, selects the projects, monitors progress and evaluates the results. It still matters a great deal, because a large share of Japan's solid-state battery research money reaches companies through NEDO.
2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
Unlike the companies in this series, none of the institutions that appear in solid-state battery coverage makes batteries. What separates them is the route by which they influence the industry, and that gives four types.
3. What it does for solid-state batteries
NEDO's involvement in solid-state batteries runs along two lines Sourced.
| Programme | Period and budget | What it covers | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced and Innovative Battery Materials Evaluation Technology Development (Phase 2) known as SOLiD-EV | FY2018 to FY2022 FY2022 budget ¥2.149 billion | Component technologies to clear the bottlenecks in all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries, plus methods for evaluating how new materials, mass-production processes and vehicle integration perform. It also developed safety and durability test methods with Japan-led international standardisation in mind | Led by LIBTEC (the Technology Research Association of Lithium-Ion Battery Materials Evaluation), with vehicle, battery and materials makers, universities and public research bodies |
| Evaluation and Fundamental Technology Development of Next-Generation All-Solid-State Battery Materials known as SOLiD-Next | FY2023 to FY2027 FY2026 budget ¥1.85 billion | (1) A standard cell model that acts as a yardstick for evaluating materials; (2) explaining phenomena specific to solid-state batteries, such as solid-solid interfaces and degradation; (3) electrode and cell component technology | Led by LIBTEC |
| Green Innovation Fund project "Development of Next-Generation Storage Batteries and Next-Generation Motors" | Launched April 2022 Budget capped at ¥151 billion | High-capacity batteries with at least twice today's energy density (700 to 800 Wh/L or more), with solid-state batteries given as an example, and their materials. Battery recycling and motors are also in scope | 18 themes selected. Solid-state related awardees are listed in section 5 |
SOLiD-EV and SOLiD-Next build shared foundations for the whole industry. The "standard cell model" in particular is a yardstick for comparing performance under identical conditions when a materials supplier develops a new solid electrolyte or cathode material. It is not any one company's product development. The Green Innovation Fund, by contrast, pays for individual companies' own development work, and that is the route through which Honda and Nissan are developing their solid-state batteries. For a materials supplier, the first is the arena in which your material gets judged; the second is the development budget of the customers who might adopt it.
4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
| Aspect | What NEDO has | What it does not have |
|---|---|---|
| Powers | The power to run calls for R&D funding, select projects, monitor progress and evaluate results. It reviews awardees' research plans and requires them to submit business strategy documents | Power to set regulations, safety requirements or international standards. Power to decide the broad direction of research, which follows the ministry's plan |
| Geography | Programmes funded from the Japanese budget. Awardees are mainly Japanese companies and research bodies | Any direct authority over foreign companies or other countries' policies |
| Time horizon | The Green Innovation Fund is designed to support projects continuously for up to ten years | Power to require anyone to start mass production or bring a product to market |
| Scale | 1,640 staff. A budget of ¥505.2 billion plus ¥11.37 trillion in funds (all fields combined) | The total available for solid-state batteries alone has not been published |
The fund total of more than ¥11 trillion covers every field NEDO handles, and most of it is for semiconductors and post-5G communications (post-5G ¥3.59 trillion, Green Innovation ¥2.76 trillion, specified semiconductors ¥2.17 trillion, among others) Sourced. What bears on solid-state batteries is a single Green Innovation Fund project, capped at ¥151 billion, plus individual programmes such as SOLiD-Next. That ¥151 billion also covers battery recycling and motors, so the amount spent on solid-state batteries alone is smaller, and the total has not been published Not yet confirmed.
5. Where the money goes
Green Innovation Fund themes with a solid-state battery link
| Awardee | Theme title (NEDO's wording, translated) | Link to this series |
|---|---|---|
| Honda Motor and Honda R&D | Development of next-generation all-solid-state batteries | See our Honda profile. Honda's own materials put this grant at about ¥20 billion (FY2022 to FY2026) |
| Nissan Motor | Establishing a production process for high-performance, low-LCA batteries on an all-solid-state battery pilot line | See our Nissan profile. Nissan's business strategy document gives a total project cost of about ¥15.3 billion, of which about ¥11.4 billion is government money |
| GS Yuasa | Development of advanced solid-state batteries | Not covered in this series |
| Panasonic Energy | Development of next-generation batteries | See our Panasonic profile. The theme title does not mention solid-state batteries |
| Idemitsu Kosan | Mass-production technology for sulfide solid electrolytes | Toyota's solid electrolyte partner (see our Toyota profile) |
| Sumitomo Metal Mining | Development and demonstration of high-performance cathode materials for next-generation batteries | Toyota's cathode materials partner (see our Toyota profile) |
| ULVAC | Production technology for lithium-metal anodes for next-generation batteries | Not covered in this series |
| Osaka Soda | Development of ultra-high ionic conductivity polymers for all-solid-state batteries | Not covered in this series |
NEDO's project page does not show how much each awardee receives. The Honda and Nissan figures come from documents those companies published or filed. Toyota Motor does not appear among this project's awardees, although its partners Idemitsu Kosan and Sumitomo Metal Mining do Sourced.
6. Outlook
| What the evidence suggests | Primary information it rests on | Category |
|---|---|---|
| NEDO's influence reaches a natural break around the mass-production decisions of 2027 and 2028 | SOLiD-Next runs to FY2027. Honda's NEDO grant covers FY2022 to FY2026, and Nissan's strategy document targets market launch in FY2028 | Inference |
| Support for the mass-production stage will shift from NEDO's R&D programmes to the ministry's capital-investment support | NEDO's programmes cover R&D and demonstration and carry no power to require mass production. Support for production equipment falls under the ministry | Inference |
| If the standard cell model is taken up by the industry, it will outlast the programme as the arena in which materials suppliers are judged | SOLiD-Next sets out to build a yardstick, and its predecessor SOLiD-EV developed test methods with international standardisation in mind | Inference |
7. Glossary
- National R&D agency
- A public body that carries out national research and development under the supervision of a minister. It is not itself a ministry.
- Green Innovation Fund
- A fund of ¥2 trillion (at launch) that the ministry set up at NEDO. It supports company projects from R&D through to deployment for up to ten years.
- LIBTEC
- The Technology Research Association of Lithium-Ion Battery Materials Evaluation, a joint body in which battery and materials makers develop materials evaluation techniques together.
- Standard cell model
- A reference cell specification used to compare new materials under identical conditions.
- Business strategy document
- A document in which each Green Innovation Fund awardee sets out its strategy and R&D plan as a commitment from top management. NEDO publishes them online.
AI-generated conceptual illustration8. References
- NEDO Organisational overview (in Japanese): name, headquarters, establishment, history, supervising minister, governing law, staff numbers, budget and the breakdown of fund budgets. Updated 15 April 2026. https://www.nedo.go.jp/introducing/kihon.html
- NEDO Project page for SOLiD-Next (in Japanese): project period, FY2026 budget, R&D content and project code P23005. https://www.nedo.go.jp/activities/ZZJP_100257.html
- NEDO Project page for SOLiD-EV (in Japanese): project period, FY2022 budget, project leader and test methods developed with international standardisation in mind. https://www.nedo.go.jp/activities/ZZJP_100146.html
- NEDO Press release on the launch of the Green Innovation Fund project for next-generation batteries and motors (in Japanese, 19 April 2022): total budget of ¥151 billion, 18 themes selected, the call run on the basis of the ministry's plan, and the ministry's creation of a ¥2 trillion fund with up to ten years of support. https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101535.html
- NEDO Green Innovation Fund website, "Development of Next-Generation Storage Batteries and Next-Generation Motors" (in Japanese): budget cap, project features and the list of implementers by R&D category. https://green-innovation.nedo.go.jp/project/next-generation-storage-batteries-motors/scheme/
- Honda Motor Investor briefing on its all-solid-state battery pilot line (in Japanese): NEDO grant of about ¥20 billion, FY2022 to FY2026. https://global.honda/jp/investors/library/road_show/main/00/teaserItems3/01/linkList/03/link/FYE202503_Honda_Demonstration_Production_Line_for_All-Solid-State_Batteries_j.pdf
- Nissan Motor (published by NEDO) Green Innovation Fund business strategy document, as of May 2026 (in Japanese): total project cost of about ¥15.3 billion, about ¥11.4 billion of it government money, and market launch in FY2028. https://green-innovation.nedo.go.jp/resources/pdf/next-generation-storage-batteries-motors/item-001-1/vision-nissan-004.pdf
9. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the article | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full name, headquarters, establishment, supervising minister, 1,640 staff, ¥505.2 billion budget, ¥11.37 trillion in fund budgets and their breakdown | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.nedo.go.jp/introducing/kihon.html |
| SOLiD-Next project period, FY2026 budget of ¥1.85 billion and R&D content | Sourced | Reference 2 https://www.nedo.go.jp/activities/ZZJP_100257.html |
| SOLiD-EV project period, FY2022 budget of ¥2.149 billion and test methods developed with international standardisation in mind | Sourced | Reference 3 https://www.nedo.go.jp/activities/ZZJP_100146.html |
| The battery project's ¥151 billion total, 18 themes, a call based on the ministry's plan and up to ten years of support | Sourced | Reference 4 https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101535.html |
| The target of at least twice today's energy density (700 to 800 Wh/L or more), the awardees and their theme titles, and Toyota's absence from the list | Sourced | Reference 5 https://green-innovation.nedo.go.jp/project/next-generation-storage-batteries-motors/scheme/ |
| Honda's grant of about ¥20 billion (FY2022 to FY2026) | Sourced | Reference 6 https://global.honda/jp/investors/library/road_show/main/00/teaserItems3/01/linkList/03/link/FYE202503_Honda_Demonstration_Production_Line_for_All-Solid-State_Batteries_j.pdf |
| Nissan's total project cost of about ¥15.3 billion, government share of about ¥11.4 billion and FY2028 market launch | Sourced | Reference 7 https://green-innovation.nedo.go.jp/resources/pdf/next-generation-storage-batteries-motors/item-001-1/vision-nissan-004.pdf |
| The four types of institution | Our calculation | Our own classification |
| The selection of solid-state related themes | Our calculation | Our own selection from the theme titles in reference 5 |
| The total spent on solid-state batteries alone | Not yet confirmed | Not stated in references 1 to 5; this article does not estimate it |
| Amounts allocated to awardees other than Honda and Nissan | Not yet confirmed | Not stated in reference 5; this article does not estimate them |
| The three points in the outlook (section 6) | Inference | This article's reading of the periods and aims in references 2, 3, 6 and 7 |
Last updated 23 September 2026 / Troy Technical
All figures come from NEDO's website and press releases and from documents published or filed by the funded companies. Items marked "Inference" are this article's reading of the primary information, not statements by NEDO.