International hydrogen projects – module 1

Funding information

Who can receive funding?

Applicants for Module 1 must have their headquarters in the European Union and a permanent establishment or branch in Germany at the time the grant is paid. The funding guideline supports projects in energy partnership countries. In addition, projects in other countries can be funded as well.

Legal entities under private law and natural persons are also eligible to apply, provided that they are economically-active in accordance with the meaning of Section 2 (1) of the German Value Added Tax Act (Umsatzsteuergesetz). Universities and research institutions are eligible in association with companies. Corporate consortia are eligible to apply if the share of value added by the participating eligible company or companies is at least 51 percent.

What will be funded?

Within the framework of the funding guideline, international, interdisciplinary, and innovative projects are to be funded. Module 1 focuses on projects in the field of industrial application and experimental development. The projects are to be implemented in countries outside the territory of the European Union and the EFTA states (country of implementation). The subsidized investments must be operated for at least three years after commissioning (first intended use of a technology), in accordance with its purpose (obligation to use). The applicant must prove that the project would not be economically-viable without funding.

Within Module 1, the BMWi is funding, in particular, sustainable production options, storage facilities, and transport options, as well as integrated application solutions for green hydrogen and its derivatives, which are to be systematically-developed in cooperation with partner countries outside the European Union and EFTA states. Funding may also include integrated projects covering several value-added steps. In accordance with the action plan for the National Hydrogen Strategy, the funded projects should focus on the entire value chain, thereby creating planning security for future producers, suppliers, consumers, and other investors and research players in Germany and abroad.

Under the funding guideline, advanced approaches can also be developed further, to the point of reference capability, in order to accelerate the achievement of the market maturity of technologies and to support the accumulation of implementation experience in different geographical and climatic conditions. Technology Readiness Level should reach from 7 to 9 at the beginning and the end, respecitively, of the project. This intends to help bridge the difficult phase gap between technology development and market penetration.

Further details on eligible topics can be found in Section 5, “Object of funding”(German: "Gegenstand der Förderung") of the funding guidelines.