Latest News

UK-HyRES : A LETTER FROM UK-HYRES DIRECTOR PROF TIM MAYS | 31/07/2023

Please download a personal letter from Prof Tim Mays, Director and PI of UK-HyRES, confirming early details of the new EPSRC Hub.   We are especially keen to ”spread the message” far and wide, including to individuals and organisations who may not be aware of UK-HyRES nor the opportunities of association.  In which case would you please forward the letter to your networks.  We appreciate the risks (and sincerely apologise for) any x-posting. 

Thank you and kind regards,

UK-HyRES Administration Team

UK-HyRES Phase 2 receives £11 million in funding from the EPSRC to launch UK Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels | 12/07/2023

We are pleased to announce, following the positive feedback received from the EPSRC, that the UK-HyRES Hub proposal has been successful. As a result, we have officially commenced our initial five-year funding period.

We would like to express our gratitude to the entire community for their support in creating this ambitious research hub. We kindly ask for your patience as we enter this next phase, as more information will be shared soon. Our main priority is to provide the community with updates on our significant flexible project fund and explore collaborative opportunities to achieve real-world impact.

UK-HyRES Director engaging the community

1. New member of the Carbon Trust’s CHIP (Clean Hydrogen Innovation Programme) Advisory Committee.
2. Attended by invitation a Net Zero meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Western Gateway in Portcullis House, Westminster on 11/7/23.
3. Attended by invitation a meeting of the US/UK R&D Action Plan Working Group 2 (reactor technologies) Nuclear Hydrogen Modelling Workshop on 11/7/23.
4. Joined DESNZ’s new Hydrogen Delivery Council’s Jobs, Skills and Supply Chains Working Group on 11/7/23.

Western Gateway’s Hydrogen Conference 9/6/21 | Prof Tim Mays Plenary Speaker

On the 9th June Professor Tim Mays was the invited plenary speaker at the Western Gateway’s Hydrogen Conference at the ICC in Newport, Wales on 9/6/23.

UK-HyRES Director Secures funding as Co-I and Theme Lead on EPSRC Prosperity Partnership with GKN Aerospace

Prof. Tim Mays has been appointed as Theme Lead and Co-I of ZENITH,  the new EPSRC Prosperity Partnership with GKN Aerospace (ref: EP/X025403/1) that focuses on hydrogen storage in future aircraft. Read more at UKRI

UK-HyRES Future Perspectives | Royal Society of Edinburgh | 20/04/2023

UK-HyRES held its latest hydrogen community engagement meeting, “Future Perspective”, at the Royal Society of Edinburgh on Thursday 20 April 2023. A full report of the meeting will be available soon, but it is worth saying at this stage that attendance was great (> 60 delegates) with an excellent range of national and international speakers.

Special thanks are due to Gus MacIntosh (Department for Energy Security and New Zero), Peter Holtappels (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and not least Anthony Kucernak (Imperial College London) who provided a recording of his talk while currently in New Zealand! Nigel Holmes (Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Association) deserves a special mention as a cool and calm chair of a lively afternoon panel discussion, see photo. To cap an excellent day, the RSE venue was fantastic, and we were blessed with clear blue skies in Edinburgh for the duration.

Tim Mays, UK-HyRES Director, University of Bath

UK GOV Hydrogen Champion Publishes Report

The UK Hydrogen Champion engaged with stakeholders across the hydrogen value chain between July and December 2022.

This report summarises their findings and makes recommendations for government and industry to accelerate the growth of the hydrogen sector.

The UK Hydrogen Champion, Jane Toogood, was appointed in July 2022 as an independent advisor to government and industry on the development of the UK hydrogen economy. Read the report

Regional Roadshow Series 2023

Warwick | Sheffield | Westminster

UK-HyRES held a series of events under the Regional Roadshow banner, located at the University of Warwick, The University of Sheffield and Church House Westminster. The events were a gathering of leading experts in the field of hydrogen energy who came together to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the industry.

The events were attended by representatives from universities and a diverse range of industries across the midlands region, providing a platform for participants to share ideas and collaborate on finding solutions to the challenges facing the world in its journey towards net zero emissions.

Throughout the day, attendees engaged in discussions that covered a wide range of topics, including the proposed research hub in hydrogen and alternative liquid fuels. One of the key themes discussed was…  Read more about the Roadshows.

UK-HyRES Pre-announcement of Calls for Research Project Funding

An exciting and unique opportunity to be part of a major new hydrogen research
programme in the UK.

Subject to review, UK-HyRES plans to issue three calls to fund new innovative and impactful hydrogen research projects. There is a £4.7M (Full Economic Cost, FEC) flexible budget for these projects, with the the first call in May 2023. This is a pre-announcement to encourage early project development.

Download the pre-announcement

Co-I Professor Rachael Rothman Interviewed for CNBC’s Sustainable Futures

UK-HyRES recently had its co-investigator, Professor Rachael Rothman, interviewed by CNBC’s Sustainable Futures. The article discussed the potential role of different methods of hydrogen production, specifically focusing on green and pink hydrogen.

The production of hydrogen is a topic of great interest due to its potential role in securing a low-carbon future. However, the majority of hydrogen produced today still comes from fossil fuels, with low-emission hydrogen accounting for less than 1% of global hydrogen production in 2021, according to a report from the International Energy Agency. Read more here >

GKN Aerospace and the University of Bath collaborate further

Bath PhD student Catherine Butler presented at the GKN Aerospace Global Technology Centre in Bristol on the 16th Jan. Over the preceding years, The University of Bath and GKN Aerospace have partnered across many research programmes. In an effort to foster further collaboration, students were invited to discuss their research and find further synergies with real world challenges faced across GKN’s portfolio. Catherine discussed solid state hydrogen storage and how her research could lead to new ways forward.

Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels Research Funding

Two new calls have been announced that we encourage our community to look at!

The first is the Horizon Europe funding call: Horizon Europe is an EU research and innovation programme. It has a budget of €95.5 billion and runs until 2027. If you’re a UK-based researcher or innovator, you can apply to most Horizon Europe funding opportunities on the same terms as EU-based applicants, and on the 31st Jan they are holding a Consortia Building Event for potential applicants.

The second is that a pre-announcement of the UKRI interdisciplinary responsive mode scheme is now live with the full call due to be launched imminently. View the call here!

MISSION ZERO REPORT – Independent Review of Net Zero – Rt Hon Chris Skidmore

Have you read the latest independent review of the UK’s Net Zero mission by the Rt Hon Chris Skidmore? We were heartened to see so many mentions of hydrogen and alternative liquid fuels and the part they will play in Mission Zero. Definitely worth a read and you can access it here!

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY – Hydrogen Strategy update
to the market: December 2022

UK-HyRES is pleased to announce BEIS has released its latest Hydrogen Strategy Update to The Market (December 2022). We have included some of the key details relating to UK-HyRES, but encourage all stakeholders to read the report. This December 2022 Hydrogen Strategy update to the market summarises the extensive activity across Government since July to develop new hydrogen policy at pace and to design and deliver funding support. This includes announcements on shortlisted hydrogen projects in the Cluster Sequencing Process, the launch of a consultation on hydrogen transport and storage (T&S) infrastructure, the publication of the HPBM Heads of Terms, and an update on the ongoing first Electrolytic Hydrogen Allocation Round. The hydrogen policy development presented here underlines the Government’s approach to promote every aspect of the UK hydrogen economy in collaboration with industry, investors and international partners to create a strong, globally competitive UK hydrogen sector.

PI Tim Mays gives presentation at the the last ever H2FC Supergen Hub annual assembly as baton passed to UK-HyRES

In the last ever H2FC Supergen Hub annual assembly, before they hand the hydrogen energy baton over to the two new £25m successor programmes – this project, UK HyRES and also, UK HiACT – the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell (H2FC) Supergen Hub brought together leading lights and rising stars for a fully cross-sector focus on Moving Ah₂ead with Hydrogen. Held at The Science Museum, PI Tim Mays gave a presentation that discussed the work done in the coordinator project to date and our exciting plans for the future of the Hub. You can download the slide deck here.

Research Challenge Online Showcase – REPORT NOW AVAILABLE

On Friday the 21st October we held our rescheduled interactive and participatory workshop. There was an amazing response from across the hydrogen community with over 90 participants. Facilitated by The Collective, we first heard from Prof Tim Mays, who welcomed all attendees, before Prof Rachael Rothman introduced our vision for the Hub. Through four different breakout sessions, we examined some of the research challenges identified through our previous workshops. Primers were delivered, that discussed the technical theme challenges, from the UK-HyRES investigators, Tim Mays, Rachael Rothman and Shanwen Tao. These challenges are highlighted in the attached slide deck. While they represent priorities, these list are by no means exhaustive. If there are more ideas, thoughts, or key priorities that weren’t discussed, please do get in touch and speak to one of the team. Read more about the showcase and download the report.

Interactive Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels Industry Map Including Roadshow Locations

Since UK-HyRES began its coordination project, we have been working to establish the key players in the UK hydrogen economy. This spans smaller supply chain businesses, as well as larger industry. We have had fantastic engagement through our workshops, on our website, and through various offline conversations and fact finding exercises. As we develop the details of the Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels and the projects within, we want to connect industrial priorities with the UK’s talented academic research community. We have therefore developed a map of the companies and consortia we are aware of, either through their engagement with the HyRES project or through or our own background research. View the map

University of Bath is Soaring Towards Sustainable Aviation

We’ve been sharing our research at the University of Bath on novel materials for hydrogen storage as part of a new digital series from IOM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining) and Content with Purpose.  Find out how #MaterialChange is helping to address the #ClimateCrisis, achieve #NetZero targets and accelerate the #CircularEconomy.

See the LinkedIn post and read more on the IOM3 website. You can also see the video here!

Connecting Basic Research on Hydrogen with Industry and Policy: Keynote Presentation by PI Prof Tim Mays

On Thursday 3 November 2022 UK-HyRES Principal Investigator Prof Tim Mays gave an invited,  keynote talk “Connecting Basic Research on Hydrogen with Industry and Policy” at the re-scheduled Scottish Policy Conference “Developing the Hydrogen Economy in Scotland”, read more at https://www.scotlandpolicyconferences.co.uk/conference/SPC-Hydrogen-22.

Proposal Submitted: Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels

The UK-HyRES team is delighted to confirm that our proposal to the EPSRC for a national Hub for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels was submitted yesterday.  There will now be a validation and review process managed by the EPSRC.  We hope that will lead to a positive outcome.  In the meantime, our work on the UK-HyRES Co-ordinator project will continue until the end of next April.  Please keep an eye out on this website for further UK-HyRES news, including about events that we will be holding over the next six months.  Thank you.

Prof Tim Mays, UK-HyRES Principal Investigator, University of Bath

Appointment of Dr Marcus Newborough, CEng FEI, FREng as a Visiting Professor at the University of Bath

The University of Bath’s Department of Chemical Engineering is delighted to announce that Marcus Newborough, Development Director, ITM Power PLC (https://itm-power.com) will be appointed as a Visiting Professor from 1 November 2022.  He will continue to work closely with Professor Tim Mays in the Department, and other colleagues on campus, with a focus on sustainable hydrogen engineering.  This will include supporting Tim in building a national EPSRC Hub for Research in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels (UK-HyRES, https://ukhyres.co.uk) to be based at the University. Read more about the appointment.

Climate Change: Catastrophe or Opportunity? Prof. Tim Mays to interview The Rt Hon Lord Deben as part of the University of Baths I-SEE webinar series

Register for a free webinar, “Climate Change: Catastrophe or Opportunity?”, held on October 4th 16:30 -17:30. The Rt Hon Lord Deben will talk mainly about his role as Chair of the Climate Change Committee but also about his career journey to this. The interviewer will be Tim Mays who is Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering at Bath, UK-HyRES PI, and Director of the University’s very well-established Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment (I-SEE), which will be the host at Bath for the seminar. Read more about the event and register for free.

Progress on UK-HyRES – Hydrogen Fuelled Transport Conference – Keynote Presentation

Prof Tim Mays (UK-HyRES PI) gave an invited, keynote presentation on progress on UK-HyRES at the online Hydrogen Fuelled Transport Conference organised by Network-H2 on 21/9/22.  Read more about the event.

Connecting Basic Hydrogen Research with Industry and Policy – SPC Conference – Keynote Presentation

Prof Tim Mays (UK-HyRES PI) was due to give an invited, keynote presentation Connecting basic hydrogen research with industry and policy at the Scotland Policy Conference Developing the hydrogen economy in Scotland on 15/9/22.  However, the event was cancelled after the Queen’s passing.  The organisers hope to re-schedule.  Read more about the Scotland policy conference.

Research Challenges Showcase Event – September 15 Cancelled

In light of the Queen’s recent passing, UKRI has advised that we should cancel the UK-HyRES Showcase at the University of Warwick planned for Thursday 15 September 2022. The inconvenience that this may cause is regrettable.  We hope to be able to reschedule the Showcase for later in the year.  We will continue to keep the UK’s Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels research community informed of developments, mainly via the project’s website: https://ukhyres.co.uk

Thank you, Prof Tim Mays, UK-HyRES PI, University of Bath

UKRI EPSRC hydrogen call launched to establish hydrogen & ALF research challenges hub

On the 01/09/22 UKRI and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council opened the second stage call of a two-step process for The Coordinator for Research Challenges in Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Fuels. The UK-HyRES project was initially funded by UKRI for six months from 1 April 2022.  UK-HyRES engaged nationally with academic, industrial and policy stakeholders to discuss and identify research challenges the solutions to which will accelerate the deployment of sustainable H&ALF technologies to help the country achieve its legally binding net zero carbon emissions target by 2050 and hence contribute to mitigating disastrous global heating. This call represents the second stage of the invite only application process, with the call document now open, we urge interested community members to give it a read. Read more.

The role of hydrogen in a net zero energy system | NEPC – RAENG

The National Engineering Policy Centre and Royal Academy of Engineering has published an excellent report on “The role of hydrogen in a net zero energy system”. This is vital reading for all members of the hydrogen and alternative liquid fuels community as we move closer to the net zero transition. “Hydrogen can carry energy to many hard-to-decarbonise sectors with no greenhouse gas emissions at the point of use, giving hydrogen a valuable role in a net zero energy system. However, as the successful scale up of low-carbon hydrogen production and end-uses poses many challenges and is dependent on decisions made in other parts of the energy system, a pragmatic and carefully managed delivery is vital to achieve emission reductions and reap the benefits that hydrogen can provide”. Read more and download the report here.

Register for our Research Challenges Showcase at the University of Warwick

EVENT CANCELLED | Held at the University of Warwick’s Radcliffe Conference Centre on the 15th September, this is a chance to develop some of the excellent conversations we have had through our themed workshop series, and to present some of the findings and outputs that have emerged. There will be a range of fantastic speakers and opportunities for engagement. Please follow the link on our events page to register. We are also delighted to offer early career researchers (postgraduate students, research staff, lecturers on probation) grants for travel and subsistence, awarded after the event. Please indicate that you are an ECR on the registration form and we will follow up with more info.

Hydrogen Champion appointed as government accelerates UK hydrogen investment

A warm welcome to Jane Toogood who has been appointed as the UK’s first Hydrogen Champion. The appointment will see Jane play a vital role in bringing industry and government together to realise the government’s hydrogen ambitions. This includes supporting up to 10 GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030, aiming to run annual allocation rounds for electrolytic hydrogen, and designing, by 2025, new business models for hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure. These targets will put us on track to make the UK a world-leading hydrogen economy, attracting billions of pounds in inward investment and supporting 12,000 jobs across the country. Read more of the press release and the appointment of the hydrogen champion.

Great discussion and engagement in our Ammonia and Alternative Liquid Fuels workshop

Alternative liquid fuels such as ammonia are increasingly regarded as a key component of the future energy mix towards the net zero imperative. Through our launch workshop, you also told us that alternative liquid fuels was one of the major areas that you wanted to discuss. On the 20th July UK-HyRES held the fourth themed workshop focused on the research challenges, future vision and opportunities surrounding ammonia and alternative liquid fuels to answer that call. Read more about the workshop and the excellent insight talks.

UK-HyRES featured in The Engineer magazine

Titled “H₂ BEYOND THE HYPE” the July issue discusses the project motivation and vision. Featuring a great interview with Principal Investigator Professor Tim Mays, the article sets out the strategic context of Hydrogen, the key engineering challenges and why UK-HyRES can help in accomplishing our Net Zero ambitions. Not least through interdisciplinary, cross-cutting engagement. Read the full article online or download it here.

Workshop 4 – End Use of Hydrogen – Insightful discussion, comments and debate

Hydrogen is often discussed from the perspective of fuel cells, but many other end users rely on hydrogen, from ammonia, methanol and steel production, to power generation, oil and metal refining, and synthetic fuels. On the 5th July 2022 UK-HyRES held the fourth workshop in a themed series, focused on the challenges, opportunities and future vision for the end use of hydrogen. Read more about the insight talks.

Prof. Tim Mays delivered a UK-HyRES presentation at the University of Bath’s summer showcase for the Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies (CSCT), which he also co-directs

Titled “Molecules to Materials for a Sustainable Future”, the CSCT’s annual summer showcase was held on the 27th-28th June 2022. The event, a multi-disciplinary conference, featured a wide range of research topics and excellent presentations and talks. Alongside the CSCT’s CDT student presentations, ignite talks and posters, a wide range of industrial and academic presentations from leading figures were heard. These included a presentation from Prof. Tim Mays about the UK-HyRES project ambitions. Read more.

Prof. Rachael Rothman discusses the UK-HyRES project goals as part of the EPSRC Engineering Net Zero week

Prof. Rachael Rothman delivered an engaging presentation on the UK-HyRES project, including our aims, objective and vision. Discussion of hydrogen and how it can play a part in the net zero transition also featured, with Prof. Rothman continuing the conversation on the panel. There was lots of great discussions about systems level thinking, delivery and the need for life cycle assessment. Read more.

Prof. Tim Mays discusses hydrogen on behalf of the EPSRC Supergen Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Hub as part of the EPSRC Engineering Net Zero week

Answering the question, “What are the social impacts of the move to net zero? – The view from the EPSRC Supergen Programme”, Prof. Tim Mays gave a presentation about the H2FC project and stressed the importance of “Society and Sustainable Development, where society at large must be engaged to appreciate the reasons for, and methods and impacts of, net zero research.” Prof. Mays also continued the conversation during the panel session. Read more.

Successful Engagement for Workshop 2 – Production &
Workshop 3 – Storage and distribution

Workshops 2 and 3 took place on the 16th June 2022. There was engagement from the full spectrum of stakeholders across the hydrogen economy. Building on the success of the Launch event, Workshop 2 focused on the Production of Hydrogen, with Workshop 3 centred around the Storage and Distribution of Hydrogen. Engaging insight talks were delivered during each session. Read more about the Production Workshop, or the Storage & Distribution Workshop, to hear about our insight talks, the plan going forward, and to watch the recordings.

Prof. Tim Mays gave the Plenary Lecture at the EPSRC Supergen Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Hub

Prof. Tim Mays gave the opening Plenary Lecture at the EPSRC Supergen Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Hub conference at the University of St Andrews on 8 June 2022.  His lecture introduced the scope and details of the UK-HyRES project. Download the slide deck to read more about the project.

UK-HyRES Featured in The Chemical Engineer magazine

UK-HyRES was featured in the latest special issue titled ‘Energy Transition’ . Authored by the editor, Adam Duckett and reporter Amanda Jasi, the project was discussed as part of the landscape of activities towards ‘engineering options for a cleaner tomorrow’, with some fantastic accompanying articles. Read the article on our website and the full issue by following this link.

Launch Workshop Outcomes

The UK-HyRES launch workshop took place online with the project team present in person at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution following a Board meeting in the morning. There was excellent engagement across academia, industry, government, consultancies, consortia and NGOs with over 130 attendees. Read the initial outcomes from the workshop.