Hannover Messe 2026 highlighted the central role of hydrogen and advanced energy storage technologies in Europe’s transition towards a climate-neutral industry. On the final day of the fair, MOST-H2 participated in the panel discussion “Powering Net-Zero Industry: Hydrogen and Advanced Energy Storage”, organized by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) and moderated by Jean-Philippe Guisset, Head of Sector Advanced Materials (European Commission).
The session brought together representatives from EU institutions and leading research and innovation projects to discuss how next-generation energy technologies are progressing from laboratory research to industrial application.
European policy framework and funding outlook
Davide Amato, Deputy Head of Unit for Clean Energy Transitions at the European Commission, opened the session with an overview of the European policy landscape. From REPowerEU to the Clean Industrial Deal, he highlighted the strategic importance of energy storage as a cornerstone of Europe’s energy independence.
He also provided insights into current funding instruments, including Horizon Europe, the Innovation Fund, and upcoming programmes such as FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF). These mechanisms play a crucial role in supporting projects along the entire innovation chain – from early-stage research to market deployment.
Project insights: GREENCAP and MOST-H2
Representing the GREENCAP project, Dr. Francesco Bonaccorso, Scientific Director at BeDimensional S.p.A., presented key results achieved by the project, which concluded in December 2025. He outlined the development process from pouch cells to a high-performance cylindrical prototype (TRL 6), offering a more sustainable alternative to critical raw materials. At the same time, he noted that further improvements are needed to reduce the overall carbon footprint.
For MOST-H2, our project coordinator Dr. Theodore Steriotis, Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, NCSRD, introduced the potential of porous nanomaterials – particularly Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) – for hydrogen storage. He highlighted the project’s key achievements, including the development of MOF structures with a strong balance of gravimetric (11 wt%) and volumetric capacity (50 kg/m³), demonstrated not only at laboratory level but also at industrial scale.
Importantly, these materials have shown stability over repeated hydrogen adsorption and desorption cycles. However, scaling up production in a cost-effective and sustainable way remains a key challenge moving forward.
Bridging the gap to market
Despite significant technological progress, a central theme of the discussion was the persistent gap between research and industrial deployment. Both GREENCAP and MOST-H2 highlighted the need for more suitable funding instruments to support the transition from resource-intensive development to market-ready solutions.
This challenge was echoed by the European Commission, with Davide Amato underlining the difficulty of moving from low to high Technology Readiness Levels. At the same time, he emphasized the opportunities provided by EU funding frameworks to help bridge this gap and accelerate the uptake of clean energy technologies.