Webinars
Hydrogen and dual-use research: exploring opportunities for Europe’s future research agenda
How could hydrogen research contribute to both Europe’s clean energy transition and its resilience? This question was at the centre of “Hydrogen and Dual-Use Research: Shaping Europe’s Research Agenda for FP10”, a webinar organised by Hydrogen Europe Research in collaboration with Women in Green Hydrogen on October 14.
Bringing together representatives from the European Commission, the European Defence Agency, SINTEF and Motor Oil, the discussion explored the evolving policy landscape and the practical opportunities for hydrogen technologies with civilian and defence applications.
Hydrogen-derived synthetic fuels emerged as a particularly promising area. Speakers highlighted their potential to diversify fuel supplies and support applications that will continue to rely on liquid fuels. Other opportunities discussed included backup power, resilient microgrids, deployable energy systems and selected transport and unmanned applications.
A central message was that development should start with operational needs. Hydrogen solutions must demonstrate that they improve reliability, energy autonomy or logistics under demanding conditions. Early involvement of defence users, shared testing facilities and joint demonstrators can help establish where these technologies offer clear benefits for both defence and civilian uses.
The European Commission outlined the proposed approach to dual-use research within the future framework programme, emphasising its continued civilian character and the possibility of proposals focused exclusively on civilian applications. Implementation arrangements and safeguards remain under discussion.
In their closing remarks, research and industry representatives called for a dedicated European hydrogen partnership under FP10 to maintain momentum and support the sector’s contribution to competitiveness, resilience and energy security.
We would like to thank all the speakers and our moderator, Katarina Muse from Hydrogen Europe, for their insights and the interesting discussion!
From Demonstration to Deployment: Can Hydrogen Deliver SAF at Scale?
What is going well when scaling SAF and which challenges still need to be overcome? On 30 June, Hydrogen Europe Research and Women in Green Hydrogen hosted the webinar "From Demonstration to Deployment: Can Hydrogen Deliver SAF at Scale?", bringing together experts from research, industry, and policy to discuss the current state of hydrogen-based SAF and the path towards large-scale deployment.
Speakers:
💠Maria Georgiadou (European Commission)
💠Henar Olmedo Gómez (Clean Hydrogen Mission)
💠Elke Reuschenbach (DLR-Institut für Future Fuels)
💠Mariano Berkenwald (INERATEC)
Moderator:
💠Meriem Fikry (Women in Green Hydrogen/ Bauhaus Luftfahrt)
Here are some of the key points that emerged from the discussion:
- There is no single solution for aviation decarbonisation. A portfolio of technologies will be needed, with advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs), including hydrogen-based e-SAF, playing complementary roles. The challenge now is to create bankable industrial value chains that can attract investment and support large-scale deployment.
- The technology is advancing, but economics remain a major barrier. Commercialisation depends on reducing the cost of renewable electricity and green hydrogen, lowering CAPEX for first-of-a-kind plants, and continuing innovation across the value chain. Emerging options such as geological hydrogen may also contribute to lowering costs in the future.
- Deployment requires more than technology. Financing, certification, infrastructure, and market access remain critical challenges. Producing sustainable aviation fuel is only part of the journey; ensuring that new producers can successfully enter the aviation fuel market and scale their operations is equally important.
- Policy ambition must translate into implementation. Europe has established an increasingly comprehensive policy framework for SAF, but accelerating commercial deployment will require continued investment, stronger collaboration between research, industry and policymakers, and greater certainty for investors.
Thank you to everyone who joined the webinar!
The exchange reinforced one clear message: the question is no longer whether hydrogen-based SAF can contribute to aviation decarbonisation, but how quickly we can create the conditions that allow these technologies to scale.
Advancing hydrogen-based SAF will require continued collaboration, and coversations like these are an important step towards accelerating deployment!
