Third German-Greek Research and Innovation Programme
Hydrogen technologies have a wide range of applications in the sectors heating, industry and transport. This makes them essential for the successful energy transition and for achieving national and international climate targets. To strengthen the innovative capacity and competitiveness of Germany and Greece, the third German-Greek Research and Innovation Programme supports collaborative applied research and development projects across the green hydrogen value chain.
The programme builds on the successful previous editions from 2013 and 2016 and marks the start of joint research in the field of green hydrogen between the two countries. It aims to intensify knowledge transfer between research and industry and to translate novel research findings into market-ready prototypes. Furthermore, it supports cooperation between German and Greek institutions to lay the foundations for a research, development and innovation partnership that will continue beyond the project’s duration.
Funding is provided in two modules. Module A, managed by Project Management Jülich, supports collaborative projects involving partners from academia and industry across the entire green hydrogen value chain – from production, through storage and transport, to utilization – including overarching systemic issues. The projects are highly relevant to practice and identify strategies for implementing the research results in policy, society and the economy.
Module B, managed by the DLR Projektträger, funds accompanying scientific projects that analyse the projects from Module A in terms of their potential for knowledge and technology transfer and develop proposals for possible improvements.
In January 2026, the projects pHyBios, HyPathGR and H2SAFE were launched under Module A.
Further information on the projects
The aim of the pHyBios collaborative project is to develop fuel-assisted solid-oxide electrolysis cells for operation with biogas, which can also be used as fuel cells for electricity generation. To this end, the project is developing new materials and designing an experimental short-stack, including a corresponding test rig. The work also encompasses modelling at material and system level to simulate and optimize the technology. The pHyBios team is also assessing the economic, environmental and social impacts and developing potential business scenarios.
The HyPathGR collaborative project aims to analyse Greece’s potential for renewable energy and the hydrogen generated from it, both for domestic use and for export. The findings will be used to define the framework for transporting the surplus via existing pipeline systems to Germany and the EU.
The H2SAFE project aims to improve the safe and efficient storage and distribution of hydrogen. The project partners are investigating how intelligent sensors can be integrated into storage tanks, pipelines and fittings for real-time monitoring using laser metal deposition (LMD) technology. AI-supported algorithms collect and analyse the data. H2SAFE is also investigating the suitability of sensors and materials for thermal shielding, as well as the early detection of stress corrosion cracks.
News about the measure
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