Yesterday in Brussels, Hydrogen Europe Research had the pleasure of honouring five outstanding early-career scientists from our membership who are shaping the future of hydrogen research. The Young Scientist Award has become the reference prize for researchers under 35 working on hydrogen technologies. This year, we received 42 applications from 34 universities and research centres across 15 countries, highlighting the breadth and talent of Europe’s next generation of hydrogen researchers.

A special highlight came from the Commissioner responsible for startups, research and innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, who shared the following message for the occasion:

“Warm congratulations to the five young scientists receiving the 2025 Young Scientist Award for their outstanding hydrogen research projects. Your talent and innovative spirit make Europe proud and highlight the extraordinary potential of the next generation of researchers. Your work is advancing clean hydrogen technologies and strengthening Europe’s leadership in one of the most promising energy solutions of our time. To all young researchers: your success reminds us how essential it is to attract, support, and retain top talent here in Europe — so that our continent remains the home of world-leading scientific excellence”

The 2025 winners are:

• Hydrogen production: Filipp Temerov (University of Oulu, Finland)

• Hydrogen storage and distribution: Marco Maggini (UNITUS – University of Tuscia, Italy)

• Hydrogen usages: Marcos López Juárez (Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain)

• Cross-cutting activities: Federica Tamburini (University of Bologna, Italy)

• Best Researcher of the Year: Xinyi Wei (EPFL, Switzerland)

These young scientists represent the excellence, creativity, and vision that Europe needs to advance clean hydrogen technologies. Their work strengthens European innovation and contributes concretely to the mission of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.

Congratulations once again to all winners, and a sincere thank you to all the young researchers who applied this year. We look forward to seeing even more exceptional talent in the 2026 Young Scientist Award competition!