EU's Hydrogen Research Funding to Get Major Boost in 2025
Brussels, Tuesday, 17 December 2024.
The EU Clean Hydrogen partnership is set to increase funding significantly in 2025, focusing on advancing technology for hydrogen applications in industries like steelmaking and transport. A game-changer!
Major Budget Increase Coming
I’m excited to share that the EU Clean Hydrogen partnership is preparing to launch its biggest funding call yet in mid-January 2025. This new call will substantially exceed the €113.5 million allocated in 2024 [1]. As we enter a critical technology upscaling phase, the focus will expand to include innovative applications across multiple sectors, from steelmaking to maritime transport [1].
Current Challenges and Opportunities
Looking at the current landscape, I can tell you it’s a crucial moment for hydrogen development in Europe. While we’ve seen some setbacks - with about 20.3% of planned hydrogen projects being stalled or cancelled [2], the EU is doubling down on its commitment. In 2024 alone, the Innovation Fund directed €1.6 billion specifically to hydrogen projects out of its €4.8 billion total funding [3]. This shows remarkable resilience in the face of challenges.
Strategic Focus Areas
The partnership’s 2025 strategy is particularly intriguing to me because it’s targeting three key areas: new hydrogen applications in heavy industry and transport, development of EU-wide hydrogen infrastructure, and the creation of a competitive hydrogen market [1]. I find it especially noteworthy that the programme will, for the first time, include research into natural hydrogen, following a significant policy amendment in June 2024 [1].
Regional Implementation Challenges
While the EU’s commitment is clear, I’ve observed varying levels of readiness across member states. For instance, Ireland’s situation highlights some common challenges - they’re at risk of missing out on millions in EU funding without proper government matching [4]. This contrasts sharply with countries like Germany, which has allocated over €14 billion, and the Netherlands with €10 billion for clean hydrogen initiatives [4].