The Science and Innovation Network France (SIN France) facilitated a brokerage event by bringing together the UK’s national hydrogen research hubs and their French counterparts.
At the UK-France summit held in Paris on March 10, 2023, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President Emmanuel Macron agreed on a bilateral energy partnership focusing on transitioning to a net zero energy system. A significant aspect of this partnership is hydrogen research.
Seizing this opportunity, SIN France engaged the UK’s two national hydrogen research hubs, UK HyRES and UK HiACT, to collaborate with their French equivalent.
Upon reaching out to the French national hydrogen research network (FRH2), which comprises over 300 researchers and 30 laboratories, it was discovered that while FRH2 regularly holds workshops with international researchers, they had not yet collaborated with any British networks. This event aimed to bridge that gap.
UK–France Hydrogen Exchange
After several preliminary online meetings to understand mutual needs and interests, a group of six hydrogen researchers from the UK national hubs visited France on January 30, 2024, for a three-day programme.
During their visit, they attended the Hyvolution tradeshow and toured CNRS hydrogen hubs in the Greater Paris region, including ICMPE in Thiais and the Sustainable Energy Institute, as well as the Ecole CentraleSupélec at Saclay University. The visit concluded with a bilateral workshop at the British Embassy in Paris, where French and UK researchers, along with representatives from the French research ministry, CNRS, UK Research & Innovation, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, presented and discussed the hydrogen landscapes and potential collaborations.
Impact
The workshop and visits facilitated invaluable contacts between French and UK participants. A direct outcome was the establishment of a strong bilateral hydrogen strand at the first Franco-British Science, Innovation, and Tech dialogue in London in February 2024. Additionally, a follow-up UK-France hydrogen workshop is planned in the UK.
In the long term, researchers intend to form a UK-France Hydrogen Research Working Group to explore collaborations in sharing research facilities, data networks, researcher exchanges, internships, visits, and joint research funding, including opportunities via Horizon Europe. Photo by Krokodyl, Wikimedia commons.
For more information, contact Head of SIN France Sarah Vande Velde at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.