HyAdvanCE
PROJECT NAME: Advancing Cross-Border Hydrogen Planning in Central Europe
PROJECT DURATION: 01.09.2026 - 31.08.2028
PROJECT BUDGET: 1.207.191,31 €
ERDF CO-FINANCING: 965.753,04 €
PROJECT BUDGET for NIC: 132.862,42 €
ERDF CO-FINANCING for NIC: 106.289,93 €
SHORT PROJECT DESCRPTION
The HyAdvanCE (Advancing Hydrogen Planning in Central Europe) project is a new transnational initiative that aims to strengthen the integration of hydrogen development into spatial and regional planning across Central Europe. Funded under the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE 2021–2027 Programme, the project brings together partners from Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Slovenia to address one of the key challenges of the energy transition: coordinating hydrogen production, transport, infrastructure, and demand across administrative and national borders in Central Europe.
Building on European Hydrogen Success Stories
HyAdvanCE follows a “capitalisation” approach, meaning that it builds upon and further develops the results of several successful European hydrogen projects. These include H2CE, HyEfRE, H2GreenFUTURE, HyBaBo, and H2MA, whose methodologies, tools, and strategic insights will be adapted and applied in new territorial contexts. By connecting previous project outcomes and testing them in real-world settings, HyAdvanCE aims to provide practical solutions for regional authorities, planners, energy stakeholders, and policymakers involved in the emerging hydrogen economy.
Four Pilot Areas for Cross-Border Cooperation
A central project activity is the implementation of pilot actions in four cross-border regions across Central Europe. These pilots will explore how hydrogen-related infrastructure and planning processes can be better coordinated between neighbouring countries. The experiences gained will support the development of new planning approaches and strategic recommendations for broader European application. One of the project's flagship outputs will be Hydrogen Planning Guidance, a practical and methodological framework that will help public authorities and regional stakeholders integrate hydrogen production, transport infrastructure, and future demand into spatial planning processes.
The role of NIC in HyAdvanCE
The National Institute of Chemistry (NIC) contributes to HyAdvanCE by transferring and scaling the expertise, methodologies, and tools developed through its Interreg projects H2GreenTECH and H2GreenFUTURE. As coordinator of H2GreenFUTURE, NIC has gained extensive experience in hydrogen technology deployment, stakeholder engagement, skills development, and policy support. Building on the achievements of the H2 Demo Pilot, the Hydrogen Center platform, training programmes, and policy recommendations developed in H2GreenFUTURE, NIC will adapt these results for the broader Central European context. Its contribution will focus on integrating technical, educational, and policy aspects of hydrogen development into cross-border planning approaches.
Within HyAdvanCE, NIC will:
Transfer and adapt the H2 Demo Pilot methodology and technical solutions to support the design, implementation, and evaluation of scalable hydrogen projects across Central Europe.
Strengthen the Hydrogen Center knowledge base and contribute to the development of the Hydrogen Planning Guidance by incorporating hydrogen literacy, capacity-building resources, and Just Transition perspectives.
Support pilot regions with H2 educational modules and competency-development tools that address skills gaps and foster collaboration between academia, research organisations, industry, and public authorities.
Provide policy recommendations for overcoming regulatory and governance barriers related to hydrogen deployment and Local Energy Communities in Zasavje, while promoting the transferability of these solutions to other Central European regions undergoing industrial transformation.
Through these activities, NIC will help bridge the gap between hydrogen innovation, regional planning, and practical implementation, ensuring that the knowledge gained through H2GreenFUTURE delivers lasting impact across Central Europe.
PROJECT CONSORTIUM:
JSPD - Joint Spatial Planning Department Berlin-Brandenburg, lead partner
ESC-RR - Economic and Social Council of the Ústí region, partner
IPSD - Institute for Public Service Development, partner
NIC-SI - National institute of Chemistry, partner
OTH AW - East Bavarian Technical University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden, partner
MAE - Mazovia Energy Agency, partner
KSSENA - Energy Agency of Savinjska, Saleska and Koroska Region. partner
The HyAdvanCE project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund as part of the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE 2021–2027 Programme.