Funding call: Green hydrogen cooperation with Ukraine, Central Asia and the South Caucasus

The German Federal Research Ministry is supporting cooperation with partners in Ukraine, the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus as well as Iran in order to further advance the energy transition. These countries have great potential for generating solar, wind and hydropower. These renewable sources of energy are vital for the production of green hydrogen. Some of the countries also have energy transport infrastructure and are already showing interest in international cooperation in this field. The new funding call therefore aims to establish hydrogen collaborations with these relatively nearby countries in order to attract them as potential suppliers of green hydrogen.

International research and industry cooperation can also accelerate the development of renewable energies in the partner countries and help them to achieve their climate change goals.

The Federal Research Ministry is providing funding for relevant pilot projects carried out in collaboration with research institutions of the above-mentioned countries for the development of competitive technologies for the production and storage as well as for the transport and use of green hydrogen. Supporting projects investigating the potential for climate protection and the societal impact of this emerging green technology are also eligible for funding.

The specific funding call is aimed at German higher education institutions and non-university research institutions as well as companies. Funding will be provided for individual or collaborative projects which are submitted by German applicants together with at least one scientific institution from the cooperating countries.

Thematic priorities of the funding

Under this call, funding will be provided for research projects not tied to any specific technology investigating one or more of the following issues related to the development of a green hydrogen industry:

• Generation/catalytic processes: (further) development of efficient catalytic processes including identification of sustainable materials for catalysts; processes for directly obtaining high-quality chemicals such as olefins and liquid aromatic compounds
• Hydrogen electrolysis: research into hydrogen electrolysis processes using renewable sources of energy while taking into account the specific local potential of the target regions
• Biomass: research into technologies for hydrogen production from or by means of biomass (e.g. catalytic hydrogen generator from on the basis of organic raw materials or biotechnologies for producing hydrogen from food waste)
• Renewable energy: linking methane pyrolysis to the generation of electricity from renewable sources of energy according to local possibilities
• Hydrogen storage, transport and distribution: use of existing pipelines and other transport infrastructure, industry requirements and certification
• Carbon utilization: development of environmentally sustainable processes for utilizing carbon produced during pyrolysis which contribute to increasing the economic efficiency of the overall process
• Climate protection potential: accompanying analysis of the potential for protecting the climate arising from the development of sustainable hydrogen production and utilization of by-products
• Society and ecology: analysis of societal impact and acceptance; analysis of the greenhouse gas balance and/or ecological balance

Amount and duration of possible funding

Funding will be awarded as non-repayable project grants. On the German side, a maximum amount of EUR 200,000 will be provided per project, including a flat-rate project grant amounting to 20 % where appropriate. Funding will be provided for up to 36 months.

The deadline for application is 30 June 2021.

Interested researchers can submit project outlines in written and/or digital form by 30 June 2021 at the latest using the “easy-Online” tool for compiling project outlines (first phase of the procedure).

Contact:
Dr Hendrik Meurs
DLR Project Management Agency, European and International Cooperation
Phone: +49 228 - 3821-1944
Email: Hendrik.Meurs@dlr.de