General questions

  • Who is responsible for managing and maintaining the database? The Batterieverbund KLiB e. V. – funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) – is continuously developing the database, not only technically but also in terms of content. We strive for long-term searchability and an expansion of the data stocks in BecoSearch.
  • Where does the information in BecoSearch come from? The data for BecoSearch comes from project leaders, companies, research institutions, and other organizations, and is also researched by our team from publicly available sources such as the federal government’s funding catalog. Your support is crucial: Please report projects, companies, and research infrastructure, update and supplement the data, and help us with tagging. Precise and detailed data improve the effectiveness of BecoSearch for all users and increase the visibility of your company.
  • In the legend and as keywords, energy storage types are listed which I am not familiar with. We have developed a new system for the clear classification of secondary batteries, which we use in BecoSearch. The exact explanation, a flow chart for quick classification and sample classifications can be found here. So far, only a German version is available. We will provide an English version as soon as possible and kindly ask for your patience.
  • What is the Member’s Area? We can provide company employees, project managers, etc. with access to the member’s area so that they can change and update data on projects or organizations directly in BecoSearch. To get access to projects or organizations, please contact Jessica Erdmann (jessica.erdmann@klib-org.de).
  • A company, project or usable research infrastructure from the battery ecosystem is missing in the database. Can I enter or suggest these myself? Yes, you can register new entities to the database yourself. Ideally, you should add all the data that we request. However, you also have the option of entering only the most important information and the BecoSearch editorial team will research the rest. After successfully checking whether the data fulfills our admission criteria, the BecoSearch editorial team will then publish them.
  • I have discovered outdated data in BecoSearch. Is it possible to update it? You can suggest changes to existing data at any time. To do this, click on the ‘Suggest changes’ button in the relevant organisation, infrastructure or project.
  • Can I share my research results with other users? Yes, simply copy the link from your browser and share it by email, for example. The link contains all information on the applied filters, the free text search and the center of the selected map area. Please note that map sections are displayed smaller on smaller screens, so that not all results from your search may be displayed on the map and the recipients may have to zoom out first. To ensure that the results are identical, it is therefore advisable to select the table before copying and sending the link.
  • What does “history” mean for organizations? BecoSearch is designed for long term accessibility and always refers to the current company to which the acquired knowledge or IP belongs. We aim to make changes such as rebranding, acquisitions or similar, traceable even after many years. For this purpose, we collect and provide the dates and types of changes which affect an organization in the history tab.
  • Who do I contact if I have problems or questions concerning BecoSearch? If you encounter any problems or questions while using BecoSearch, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can find our contact persons listed in the help section for the respective topics. Alternatively, you can directly send a message to the editorial team using the speech bubble with the question mark in the BecoSearch header.
  • The database reacts very slowly when using and searching. What could be the reason for this? The use of BecoSearch (still) requires quite high computing power. If possible, use a powerful, up-to-date device when using BecoSearch. We are doing our best to further increase the speed.

Questions about the member area

  • What is the member area? We can provide company employees, project managers, etc. with access to the member’s area so that they can edit and update the data on projects, infrastructure or organizations directly in BecoSearch.
  • How do I get access to the member area? When you register new organizations, projects and infrastructure here, you have the option of answering the question ‘May we contact you if we have any questions about the organization?’ with Yes and further enter your contact details. In this case an account for the member’s area will be created for you automatically. Alternatively, you can write a short email to Jessica Erdmann (jessica.erdmann@klib-org.de) with a brief explanation of why you need access.
  • I have forgotten my password/username. You will find your password and user name in the e-mail in which we invited you to work with us in the member’s area. If you have deleted it and forgotten your password, you can reset it in the login page by entering your e-mail address. Your user name corresponds to the e-mail address under which you received the invitation e-mail.
  • How do I categorise a project or a company? You can find instructions on how to assign keywords and suggest new ones and what exactly we ask for in the individual categories here.
  • My department has the same expertise as the parent company. Do I now have to categorise everything twice? No, because the keywords in subordinate organizations are automatically passed on to their parents and vice versa. You can find more information on this here.
  • Do I have to categorise my joint project if a detailed categorisation of the sub-projects already exists? No, because the keywords of all sub-projects are automatically summarized in the joint project. You can find more information on this here.
  • Why am I asked about my previous jobs and how do I enter them? BecoSearch is designed for long term accessibility and should always refer to the right contact person who can provide information on a project, institution or infrastructure even when employees, employers or similar changed. For this purpose, we collect dates and changes that affect the employment of a contact. Instructions on how to enter such changes can be found here.
  • Who do I contact if I have problems or questions concerning BecoSearch? If you encounter any problems or questions while working in the member’s area, please feel free to contact us. You can send a message directly to the editorial team by using the speech bubble with the question mark in the bottom left-hand corner.