German-Australian Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Incubator (HyGATE) Kicks Off First Application Round
German and Australian funders commit up to €80 million to support bilateral real-world pilot, trial and demonstration projects along the hydrogen supply chain.
HyGATE is one of the three major initiatives developed as part of the Declaration of Intent between the Government of Australia and the Government of Germany on the Australia-Germany Hydrogen Accord. HyGATE is intended to support joint bilateral pilot, trial and demonstration projects along the hydrogen supply chain.
On the German side, the initiative is funded by Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF – Federal Ministry for Education and Research) and coordinated by project management agency Projektträger Jülich (PtJ). On the Australian side, funding is provided by the Australian Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER). The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) coordinates the scheme.
The objectives of HyGATE are to facilitate collaboration between Australian and German partners from research, industry and civil society as well as stimulate innovation and commercialisation processes in the renewable hydrogen industries in both countries.
Funding will be provided for real-world joint pilots, trials, demonstrations and associated applied research projects that bring together technology suppliers and companies working in the field of hydrogen production, transport, storage and usage. The aim is to promote highly innovative real-world research collaborations and projects among partners from research, industry and civil society. The projects can occur along the whole value chain for hydrogen produced from renewables, being the production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources.
The focus of the 2022 call is on projects that will deliver one or more of the following outcomes:
- Demonstration of highly innovative technology across the value chain of renewable hydrogen, supporting the technical viability of renewable hydrogen.
- Reduction of the cost of hydrogen production, transport, storage and use, supporting the commercial viability of renewable hydrogen.
- Development of an Australian-German supply-chain for renewable hydrogen.
- Encourage cross country collaboration and knowledge sharing between Australian and German organisations, including the establishment of cross-country partnerships related to the project activities.
- Provide price discovery and transparency in relation to the current and projected economics for renewable hydrogen technologies.
Funding is offered for consortia consisting of at least one eligible Australian partner and two German partners (one from research and one from industry). Eligible for BMBF funding are institutions of higher education, research institutions and commercial businesses. Eligibility on the Australian side follows the Advancing Renewables Programme (ARP) guidelines.
DISER and BMBF have respectively committed up to $50 million and €50 million for the establishment of HyGATE. Projects will be supported over a period of four years.
The scheme comprises a two-stage application procedure. Initially, an expression of interest and outline proposal must be submitted to both ARENA and PtJ. Proposals are then assessed by both funders and shortlisted consortia will be invited to submit a full application.
The deadline for the submission of initial proposals is 3 May 2022.
(This report was the subject of a RESEARCHconnect Newsflash.)