The Clean Hydrogen Partnership’s 2025 Hydrogen Research & Innovation Days (Programme Review Days) brought together more than 250 participants in Brussels, uniting project coordinators, industry leaders, researchers, regional authorities and EU institutions from across the hydrogen ecosystem. Over two days, attendees reviewed the Partnership’s programme, its expanding portfolio of projects and achievements, and discussed strategic priorities for the next 10–20 years.
Hydrogen at the core of Europe’s strategy
Valerie Bouillon Delporte, Clean Hydrogen Partnership’s Executive Director opened the event:
“As the EU prepares its next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), it is crucial that hydrogen remains at the core of European strategic priorities—notably competitiveness, sustainability, and energy security. As a public-private partnership between the European Commission, industry and the research community, the Clean Hydrogen Partnership exists to turn this vision into reality: to fund excellent projects, to de-risk technologies, to connect research to industry, and to turn prototypes into products, pilots into investments, and ideas into jobs and growth in Europe.”
Introductory remarks from the partnership members (European Commission, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research) followed, to set the political and strategic context for the days ahead.
Joanna Drake, Deputy Director General, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission praised the work of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its important role across the innovation ecosystem.
“The Clean Hydrogen Partnership, supported by the European Commission through Horizon Europe, has been instrumental in delivering success stories of research and innovation in clean hydrogen technologies. We must now further enhance collaboration across all levels and with all public and private stakeholders, notably through the Strategic Energy Technology plan, to advance the European hydrogen economy.”
Dr. Danica Maljković, Chair of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership Governing Board, emphasised the crucial role of sustained research funding in strengthening EU competitiveness and accelerating the market uptake of innovative hydrogen solutions.
“In recent years, the hydrogen sector has seen vision turn into policy and policy into concrete projects. The Clean Hydrogen Partnership serves as an R&I engine, driving higher-quality projects with sustainability and circularity at their core.”
Luigi Crema, President of Hydrogen Europe Research, highlighted the crucial role of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, as “Europe’s engine for alignment between the European Commission, industry, and the research community”. He emphasised that sustaining Europe’s leadership in hydrogen will require strategic and continuous investment in research and innovation through the existing Joint Undertaking.
“Europe will build a hydrogen market — but without sustained investment in research we will not build European hydrogen leadership. Competitiveness does not happen by chance: it is produced by strategy, knowledge, and continuity in research.”
Focus on innovation and deployment
The recently published 2025 Programme Review Report, developed together with the Joint Research Centre (JRC), is covering 114 ongoing projects across eight thematic pillars. It showcases Europe’s cutting-edge efforts from renewable hydrogen production and storage to distribution, transport, heat and power applications, Hydrogen Valleys, supply chain development, and fundamental research.
Mirela Atanasiu, Head of Unit Operations and Communication at the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, underlined the link between research excellence and long-term competitiveness:
"As Europe strengthens its ability to deploy and scale hydrogen technologies, our long-term competitiveness will hinge on sustained research efforts, coherent knowledge-sharing, and faster pathways to innovation. I am proud of our recently published Programme Review Report, reflects the depth and breadth of Europe’s commitment to renewable hydrogen, storage, distribution, end-uses, and supply chains. Together, these efforts form the backbone of Europe’s innovation power in a rapidly evolving global landscape."
Key highlights and achievements from the Report
- Strong progress in electrolyser performance and efficiency, with PEM, AEM and SO technologies (2017–2024) largely meeting SRIA targets and showing declining energy consumption - especially AEM.
- Installation of a 10 MW electrolyser in Wesseling, Germany (REFHYNE), marking a major step for large-scale renewable hydrogen production.
- A hybrid hydrogen fuel-cell train completed 10 000 km across seven Iberian rail lines in 37 days without incident, demonstrating the maturity of hydrogen mobility.
- End-use applications in heavy-duty transport, heat and power are being validated through real-world demonstrations.
- Hydrogen Valleys are expanding regional hydrogen ecosystems and strengthening cross-sector collaboration.
- Advances in safety, standardisation, skills development and public engagement are supporting the wider uptake of hydrogen technologies.
Speakers underlined the same message: innovation must translate into deployment – but deployment must continue to be fed by innovation if Europe is to maintain its technological edge.
They also explored how hydrogen valleys can accelerate the deployment of innovative technologies, create local value chains and jobs, and strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness
Celebrating achievements
The first day concluded with the Clean Hydrogen Awards and the Hydrogen Europe Research Young Scientist Awards, which celebrated exceptional innovations, powerful success stories, outstanding outreach efforts, and inspiring individual careers. The Awards showcased how projects are advancing cutting-edge technologies, delivering impact on the ground and inspiring the next generation of hydrogen talent.
Looking forward
Day two focused on strategic research priorities for the future.
Luigi Crema, President of Hydrogen Europe Research (HER), presented the extended edition of Advancing Hydrogen Technologies, a publication developed by the Low TRL Research Working Group with input from the HER Executive Board and wider membership. The document offers a strategic overview of emerging research areas across the hydrogen value chain and expands ten priority topics into detailed position papers outlining the state of the art, technical challenges and future research needs. Together, they provide a coherent roadmap for Europe’s future hydrogen research and innovation. (The publication is available here.)
Luigi Crema underlined: “Research is not the beginning of the chain. Research is the foundation of the entire chain. Our goal is clear: to maintain strong support for research, strengthen coordination between institutions, Member States and industry, and preserve European leadership in this strategic sector. This document is a call to act with vision and responsibility – to turn scientific excellence into industrial competitiveness, possibly ring-fenced by a future Clean Hydrogen Partnership 2.0.”
He also stressed that “hydrogen will grow only through integration: research links technologies, sectors, policies and people,” introducing hydrogen valleys as a central pillar of Europe’s future hydrogen ecosystem.
Driving competitiveness through innovation
The event concluded with a high-level discussion on how to continue driving competitiveness through innovation and on the evolving role of the Partnership. Speakers agreed that innovation remains Europe’s strongest lever to stay competitive and to support progress from lab to market.
As Europe moves from demonstration projects to full industrialisation, stronger coordination across Member States and instruments will be essential. Reflecting on past achievements, participants highlighted the importance of a clear roadmap, a strong and diverse ecosystem of players, and regulatory clarity to maintain Europe’s leadership in hydrogen.
Discover the presentations of our speakers here and watch the full recording online.
Details
- Publication date
- 1 December 2025
- Author
- Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking