Australia’s National

Science Agency

Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration

Opportunities: Global Report

As at 18 August 2022
Citation
Benedicte Delaval, Trevor Rapson Raghav Sharma, Will Hugh-Jones, Erin McClure, Max Temminghoff, Vivek Srinivasan (2022)
Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report. CSIRO, Australia

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© Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation 2022. To the extent permitted by law, all rights are reserved, and
no part of this publication covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means except with the written
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Disclaimer
CSIRO advises that the information contained in this publication comprises general statements based on research and
consultations. The reader is advised and needs to be aware that such information may be incomplete or unable to be used in any
specific situation. No reliance or actions must therefore be made on that information without seeking prior expert professional,
scientific and technical advice.
This publication does not necessarily reflect the views of individual countries assessed in the report. The assessment is solely based
on the findings of independent research carried out by CSIRO and in some instances only provides an indicative representation of
the landscape. An effort has however been made to guide the reader to relevant publications, websites and reports for detailed
information.
This report does not reflect the views of the Australian Government and the stakeholder organisations that were consulted in the
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Acknowledgments
CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands that we live and work on across Australia and pays its respect to Elders
past, present and emerging. CSIRO recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have made and will continue to
make extraordinary contributions to all aspects of Australian life including culture, economy and science.
We are grateful for the time and input of the stakeholders from industry, government, academia who were consulted throughout
this project and across the report series. In particular, the CSIRO project team would like to thank:
• Colleagues at CSIRO, members of the Australian Hydrogen Research Network (AHRN) and staff at the Department of Industry,
Science, Energy and Resources (DISER), DFAT, Austrade who provided invaluable contributions to the report.
• CSIRO’s Intellectual Property team and IP Australia who contributed the hydrogen patent analytics used in this series of
reports: Greg Maloney (CSIRO), Catriona Shaw (IP Australia), Pushpika Wijesinghe (IP Australia).
• CSIRO’s Science Impact & Policy team who contributed the hydrogen research publication analysis used in this series of
reports: Tadro Abbott (CSIRO)
• The project Working Group who provided valuable feedback throughout the course of the project: Ben Aldham (CSIRO),
Linda Stalker (CSIRO), Craig Buckley (Curtin University), Amalia Pearson (DISER).
• The CSIRO-DISER Hydrogen RD&D International Collaboration Program leadership team who provided oversight and guidance
throughout the project: James Hetherington (DISER), Amalia Pearson (DISER), Patrick Hartley (CSIRO), Vicky Au (CSIRO), Dan
O'Sullivan (CSIRO).
Finally, we would like to thank the following organisations and individuals for their time and feedback on this country report:
CSIRO: Amelia Fyfield, Doki Yamaguchi, Greg Maloney, Joel Sarout, Nawshad Haque, Sebastian Charnock, Yuko Wakamatsu,
Yunxia Yang.
AHRN: Andrew Dicks (Griffith University, AHRN Convenor), Peter Grubnic (Future Fuels CRC), Peter Majewski (University of South
Australia)
International Stakeholders:
National Research Council (NRC), Canada New Energy and Industrial Technology Development
University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada Organisation (NEDO), Japan
China Policy H2Korea, Korea
The Embassy of France in Australia Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), Korea
Ecological Transition Agency (ADEME), France Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Korea
Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
France UK Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association (UK HFCA),
National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS), France United Kingdom
National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), University of Chester, United Kingdom
Germany Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL),
German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Germany United States
PT Jülich (PtJ), Germany Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA),
United States
Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Report objective, approach and structure ....................................................................... 1
Global hydrogen industry status: the importance of RD&D ........................................................... 2
Strategic hydrogen priorities........................................................................................................... 5
1.3.1 Global strategic hydrogen priorities ................................................................................. 5
Global hydrogen RD&D activity....................................................................................................... 8
1.4.1 Global hydrogen RD&D activity ........................................................................................ 8
Global public funding commitments for hydrogen ....................................................................... 12
Summary of global commercial project pipeline .......................................................................... 13
Summary of findings from individual country reports .................................................................. 14
1.7.1 Detailed breakdown of country RD&D priorities............................................................ 15
1.7.2 Detailed breakdown of country activity ......................................................................... 16
1.7.3 Summary of key stakeholders in the international landscape ....................................... 19

Appendix 22

International Hydrogen strategy references .............................................................................................. 22

 Introduction
The hydrogen economy has gathered significant political and business momentum across the world. While
ambitious hydrogen targets and projects have been announced by many governments, there remains
considerable uncertainties related to cost, efficiency and technology selection. The rapid pace of change
and concurrent country activities can also create considerable uncertainty and duplication of effort.
Overcoming these challenges will require focused and collaborative global research, development and
demonstration (RD&D) activity.

1.1.1 Report objective, approach and structure

The study undertaken for this report comprises of two parts: the Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration
Opportunities: Global Report, and an in-depth analysis of ten countries. The featured countries were
selected based on interdependent factors including the complementarity of research activities; the
synchronicities within hydrogen strategies and the balance between countries planning to be either future
net neutral, net importer, or net exporter of clean hydrogen as this will likely influence the mode and
approach of demonstration in the RD&D paradigm. The featured countries are:
• Canada
• China
• France
• Germany
• India
• Japan
• Republic of Korea
• Singapore
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
This investigation is based on desktop analysis of research opportunities in countries with hydrogen
strategies and activities, and initial engagement with key governmental and research, development and
demonstration (RD&D) organisations in those countries.
The report aims to provide:

• A global understanding of some countries that are highly active in hydrogen RD&D.
• A review of the hydrogen RD&D priorities and activities in selected countries.
• The identification of high-level RD&D opportunities of mutual interest based on the complementarity
of strategies and research activities which could form the basis for bilateral or multilateral research
collaborations.

• An understanding of connections to key research organisations in selected countries to help lay the
foundations for future research collaborations.

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 1
Activity levels for hydrogen and net-zero initiatives is high. While effort has been made to capture major
announcements and key information as at 18 August 2022, the content is intended to provide a starting
point for informing international engagement, particularly when used in conjunction with other chapters in
the series, and is non-exhaustive.

Global hydrogen industry status: the importance of RD&D

The global hydrogen economy is at its nascency and will require a range of enabling actions to mature. The
hydrogen industry is important not just to achieve stated net zero targets, 1 but also to achieve other
priorities that countries have identified such as economic growth and energy security. In its Global
Hydrogen Review 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) outlined five key enabling actions, one of
which is the focus of this report: RD&D. This section gives an update on global progress in hydrogen
development and highlights the importance of RD&D to overcome innovation gaps that remain.
In its 2021 report, the IEA outlined the state of hydrogen industry development in the world. 2 The key
findings of the report with respect to global progress on hydrogen is shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2. Figure
2 shows projections for the current global commitments to hydrogen supply and demand, relative to the
2030 target, within the Net zero emissions scenario. The clear shortfall in commitments points to the need
for concrete policies to be developed, which support implementation, particularly focused on creating
demand. Also shown in Figure 3 are the current funding and fuel cell vehicle deployment commitments
relative to targets. Again, significant additional commitments will be required in these areas to achieve the
targets. Additionally, the IEA highlighted the importance of international co-operation to accelerate the
adoption of hydrogen underpinned by innovation provided by RD&D to lower the cost and increase the
competitiveness of hydrogen technologies.
Figure 2 shows the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) production in 2021 for different forms of hydrogen
production pathways (renewable, fossil fuel with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and natural gas). This is
shown in ranges as costs differ by country. This is compared against the IEA’s 2030 and 2050 cost goals to
make ‘low-carbon hydrogen’ 3 economically competitive. For additional context, Mission Innovation’s target
of ‘clean hydrogen’ 4 production under USD 2/kg has also been included. 5

1
Almost 130 countries have set or are considering setting a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; UN (2021) Climate Action.
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition
2
IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2021 https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/5bd46d7b-906a-4429-abda-
e9c507a62341/GlobalHydrogenReview2021.pdf
3
‘Low-carbon hydrogen’ as defined by the IEA includes hydrogen produced from renewables, nuclear electricity, biomass, and fossil fuels with
carbon, capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
4
‘Clean hydrogen’ as defined by Mission Innovation refers to hydrogen produced with very low or no carbon emissions. This definition includes
hydrogen produced from renewables and hydrogen produced from fossil fuel conversion with CCS and CCUS.
5
DISER (2021) Technology Investment Roadmap.

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 2
 Figure 1: Global progress towards achieving net zero by 2050

Figure 2: Global levelised cost of hydrogen (USD/kg) production in 2021 vs global 2030 and 2050 targets

To bring hydrogen development in line with global net zero objectives by 2050, and to decrease the cost of
hydrogen to a level competitive with other fuels, the IEA outlined five key recommendations for all
countries: 6
• Road-mapping: Setting targets and policy goals
• Demand creation: Creating incentives for low-carbon hydrogen use
• Mobilising investment: De-risking investment in production, infrastructure and factories

6
IEA (2021) Global Hydrogen Review 2021 <https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/3a2ed84c-9ea0-458c-9421-
d166a9510bc0/GlobalHydrogenReview2021.pdf>

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 3
 • RD&D and innovation: Developing, demonstrating and commercialising critical technologies faster
• Harmonising standards: Establishing certification, standardisation and regulation
With respect to RD&D and innovation, the IEA found 88% of cumulative emissions reductions to 2050 will
need to come from emerging technologies that are still currently under development, including hydrogen
technologies. 7 With respect to hydrogen production, RD&D and innovation will be required globally to
bring down the cost of production from renewable electrolysis, fossil fuel conversion with CCS, and other
clean hydrogen production methods. With respect to hydrogen utilisation, global innovation gaps are
concentrated in the areas of: 8
• Hydrogen co-firing in coal or natural gas plants
• Electrolytic hydrogen used for steelmaking and chemicals production including ammonia
• Heavy road transport
• Ammonia and methanol use in shipping
• Hydrogen and hydrogen-derived fuels in aviation
The IEA report estimates that globally, USD 25 billion of public money has been budgeted towards
hydrogen RD&D until 2030. However, USD 90 billion globally is required to complete the required
development and demonstration of emerging technologies by 2030. 9
Hydrogen RD&D is not only important for meeting global net zero objectives, but also to meet the other
objectives driving country strategies. The most commonly cited drivers across the majority of international
hydrogen roadmaps and strategies are:
• Environmental: Such as the global drive to reduce carbon emissions or the domestic drive to improve
local air quality.
• Industrial strategy and economic growth: Either growing hydrogen exports or leveraging comparative
advantages to develop key hydrogen technologies or sectors.
• National technology development: Leading technological advances and exporting energy
technologies to gain a competitive edge.
Less frequently mentioned drivers, but critical for several countries are:
• Energy security: Diversifying energy supply chains and expanding renewable energy.
• Hydrogen export: Producing hydrogen for the global market, particularly to energy importing nations
less endowed with energy resources.

7
IEA (2021) Global Hydrogen Review 2021 https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/3a2ed84c-9ea0-458c-9421-
d166a9510bc0/GlobalHydrogenReview2021.pdf
8
IEA (2021) Global Hydrogen Review 2021 https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/3a2ed84c-9ea0-458c-9421-
d166a9510bc0/GlobalHydrogenReview2021.pdf
9
IEA (2021) Global Hydrogen Review 2021 https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/3a2ed84c-9ea0-458c-9421-
d166a9510bc0/GlobalHydrogenReview2021.pdf

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 4
 Strategic hydrogen priorities
Globally, there are now more than 30 national hydrogen documents, whether plans, roadmaps or
strategies (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Major international hydrogen strategies, plans and roadmaps

1.3.1 Global strategic hydrogen priorities

Each of the more than 30 international hydrogen strategies and roadmaps, differ in level of technical detail.
Common elements across international plans are: 10
• Key drivers and comparative advantages;
• Strategic industry priorities, and related technologies;
• Roadmapping how to progress the hydrogen value chain towards an at scale hydrogen economy. This
may include RD&D priorities to overcome technical barriers; required infrastructure transitions; timing
and scale of activities; cross-cutting actions; and the role of government.

Mutual priorities in hydrogen production

Different countries envision different pathways for commercial hydrogen production. Figure 4 shows the
likely production pathways in the selected countries in the short (2030) and long (2050) term.
In the short term (to 2030) countries will likely still be reliant on producing hydrogen from fossil fuels and
possibly methane pyrolysis to meet demand. However, many are prioritising the development and
deployment of clean hydrogen (such from renewables and fossil fuels with CCS).

10
DIIS and Business CRC-P (2019) Advancing Hydrogen: Learning from 19 plans to advance hydrogen from across the globe. Future Fuels CRC.

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 5
In the long run (to 2050) the majority of countries aim to produce clean hydrogen from electrolysis or fossil
fuels with carbon management. 11 Therefore, clean hydrogen is likely the area with the most sustainable
long-run potential for RD&D collaborations and supply chain development.

Figure 4: Production pathways identified in country industry strategies in the short term, and to 2050
(not including imports)

Renewable Fossil Fuels + CCS Fossil Fuels Methane Pyrolysis

Australia ✓ ✓

Canada B ✓ ✓ ✓

China ✓ ✓

France B ✓ ✓

Germany ✓ ✓ ✓

India ✓ ✓

Japan A ✓ ✓

Republic of Korea A ✓

Singapore A ✓

United Kingdom (UK) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

United States (US)B ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

A
Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Japan are focused on importing renewable and low-carbon hydrogen rather than onshore production,
although Singapore maintains interest in onshore production of blue and brown H2
B
France, Canada and US have also considered production of hydrogen from nuclear power

Inferred from national strategies and roadmaps, or industry and consultancy publications (where national strategies are not available), and
consultations with in-country stakeholders. See Appendix B for full reference list of documents used.

11
Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnic GmbH (2020) International Hydrogen Strategies: A study commissioned by and in cooperation with the World
Energy Council Germany. World Energy Council Germany; World Energy Council, EPRI and PwC (2021) Working Paper: National Hydrogen Strategies
https://www.worldenergy.org/assets/downloads/Working_Paper_-_National_Hydrogen_Strategies_-_September_2021.pdf

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 6
Mutual priorities in hydrogen utilisation
Country strategies vary in prioritised end-uses for hydrogen. The utilisation pathways featured as a primary
focus in global country strategies are summarised below in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Primary utilisation sectors identified end uses in country industry strategies

Industry Other Light Heavy Other

Steel Refinery Chemical Aviation Power Buildings
(General) Industry Vehicles Vehicles Transport
Australia

Canada

China

France

Germany

India

Japan
Republic
of Korea
Singapore

UK

US

*Industry (general) includes end use of hydrogen in industrial processes either for heat or as a feedstock. Other industry includes process heat,
mining, cement industry, glass, electronics

Inferred from national strategies and roadmaps, or industry and consultancy publications (where national strategies are not available), and
consultations with in-country stakeholders. See Appendix for full reference list of documents used.

Import and export priorities

In order to realise cost-effective international supply chains, RD&D collaboration between exporting and
importing countries will be critical to align technology choices, and to harmonise regulations, standards and
certification schemes. Figure 6 provides an overview of countries’ likely import statuses over time, by
looking at current energy imports (as a percentage of domestic energy use), 12 and future hydrogen imports
(as indicated by country hydrogen strategies and hydrogen project deployments). 13

12
World Bank (2021) 2014 Energy imports, net (% of energy use). IEA Statistics. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.IMP.CONS.ZS
13
PwC (2021) The Green Hydrogen Economy: Predicting the decarbonisation agenda of tomorrow https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/energy-
utilities-resources/future-energy/green-hydrogen-cost.html

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 7
 Figure 6: Global energy and hydrogen import and export orientation

Germany, Japan and the Republic of Korea, are strongly import oriented both now and in the longer term.
The majority of countries in the European Union indicate a slight import focus both now and in the future in
terms of energy and hydrogen. Regions with a strong export focus now and in the future include the Middle
East, North Africa, Canada and Norway. Countries currently importing energy but looking at exporting
hydrogen in the future include Morocco, Spain and Chile. Countries trending towards self-reliance, or net
neutral hydrogen imports include China, the US and India.

Global hydrogen RD&D activity

1.4.1 Global hydrogen RD&D activity

Research publications by country

Key countries producing the highest levels of hydrogen research output across all areas of the value chain
(production, storage and utilisation) are China, the US, Japan, India, Germany, the UK and France (see Table
1). Large countries (i.e. with a high population and GDP) are likely to produce large volumes of research. As
such, NCI 14 was also used to identify smaller countries with lower publication volumes but producing high
quality research. Examples of countries achieving high NCI scores include Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia,
Hong Kong, Denmark, the UK, Canada and Vietnam.

14
Normalised Citation Impact is calculated by dividing the count of citing items by the expected citation rate for that document type, year and
subject area.

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 8
Table 1: Country research publication strengths by value chain area

Data was drawn from the Web of Science (WoS) from Clarivate and InCites by Clarivate Analytics. The search strategy and keywords used can be
found in Hydrogen Research, Development and Demonstration: Technical Repository.

Research publications by organisation

At the organisational level, most hydrogen publication outputs globally have come out of research
institutions and universities across China. However, institutions in the US, France, Germany, Russia, Italy,
Spain, India and Singapore also feature in the top 20 in terms of hydrogen publication outputs (Figure 7).
NCI metrics 15 indicate that high impact hydrogen publications originate from several universities in China,
Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the US (Figure 8).

15
Normalised Citation Impact: The number of times a publication is cited, divided by the expected citation rate for similar publication types, year or
subject area

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 9
 Figure 7: Top institutions globally by overall hydrogen publication output

Figure 8: Top institutions globally by normalised citation impact

Global hydrogen patents

CSIRO developed a search approach in 2019 to support the Hydrogen Research, Development and
Demonstration: Priorities and opportunities for Australia 16 report. CSIRO applied this approach to provide a
patent landscape across the hydrogen value chain for each country. The details of the search approach and
any limitations can be found in the National Hydrogen Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D):
Technical Repository. 17 The global patents landscape shows that the majority of patent assignees are
private companies, and to a lesser extent universities and research institutions. Figure 9 illustrates the
countries of origin for patents in hydrogen production, storage and utilisation from 2010 to 2021.
In 2021, China was the leading country from which hydrogen-related technologies originated, with 32,514
patent families (~46% of the total). Japan had 14,089 (~20% of total), the US had 8,955 (~13% of the total)
and Australia was 11th with 338 patent families.

16
Srinivasan et al. (2019) National Hydrogen Research, Development and Demonstration: Priorities and Opportunities for Australia. CSIRO.
17
Srinivasan et al. (2019) National Hydrogen Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D): Technical Repository. CSIRO.

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 10
Our independent research revealed that the top five countries in hydrogen-related patent family outputs
were also consistently the top five across each area of the value chain, i.e. patent family outputs in
hydrogen production, storage and utilisation. These top five countries were China, Japan, US, the Republic
of Korea and Germany. The top 10 organisations that hold patents in hydrogen related technologies are
shown in Figure 10 below. The majority of these are headquartered in China and Japan, and some large
multinational players also headquartered in France (Air Liquide) and the Republic of Korea (Hyundai
Motors).

Figure 9: 2010-2021 Patent families by country of origin - production, utilisation and storage

Country Number of patent families held

1 China 32,514

2 Japan 14,089

3 US* 8,955

4 Republic of Korea 5,369

5 Germany 3,257

6 France 1,551

7 Russia 1,085

8 UK 732

9 Taiwan 704

10 India 368

11 Australia 338

* Current US analysis has tracked 1,256 US patents

Figure 10: Top 20 organisations (patent assignees by number of hydrogen patent families held 2010-2021)

The search strategy and keywords used can be found in Hydrogen Research Development and Demonstration: Technical Repository.

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 11
 Global public funding commitments for hydrogen
In their national strategies, countries have committed public funds to the development of a hydrogen
economy. This includes funding for several elements including early-stage R&D through to supporting
commercial projects and skills development. The following graph shows the public commitments made by
respective countries in their national hydrogen strategies:

Figure 11: Public funding committed for hydrogen development (USD billion)

Derived from IEA (2021) Global Hydrogen Review 2021; IEA (2021) Net Zero by 2050 – A roadmap for the Global Energy Sector; Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act, H.R. 3684 (2021) 117th Congress of the United States of America.

Note: For some countries data was unavailable.

A portion of these commitments are dedicated to hydrogen RD&D specifically. Figure 12 illustrates country
funding for major RD&D programs and projects that are currently underway, and their indicative
timeframes.

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 12
 Figure 12: Public funding towards major hydrogen RD&D programs

Derived from IEA (2021) Global Hydrogen Review 2021; IEA (2021) Net Zero by 2050 – A roadmap for the Global Energy Sector; Yoon Y (2020)
Current Status of the Korean Hydrogen Economy. H2Korea and MOTIE; Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, H.R. 3684 (2021) 117th Congress
of the United States of America.

Summary of global commercial project pipeline

While this report is focused on projects from early-stage research through to demonstration and pilot
projects, several announcements have been made internationally for the deployment of mature hydrogen
technologies and funding for commercial hydrogen projects (summarised in Figure 13).
Approximately 359 hydrogen projects have been announced, with roughly USD 500 billion in funding
projected for commercial projects. The bulk of this amount is for ‘immature’ projects (announced, requires
additional funding or in preliminary study stage). Roughly USD 150 billion is funding for mature projects (at
feasibility study stage and beyond, including work on operational projects). 18
The majority of projects are either hydrogen production projects or hydrogen utilisation projects. European
projects cover the entire hydrogen value chain with a particular focus on industrial usage and transport
applications, as well as championing integrated hydrogen projects. 19 The Republic of Korea and Japan also
have a strong focus on industrial use and transport applications, particularly road transport, green
ammonia, liquid hydrogen (LH2), and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC). 20

18
Hydrogen Council and McKinsey & Company (2021) Hydrogen Insights: An updated perspective on hydrogen investment, market development
and momentum in China, Hydrogen Council. https://hydrogencouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Hydrogen-Insights-July-2021-Executive-
summary.pdf
19
Hydrogen Council and McKinsey & Company (2021) Hydrogen Insights: A perspective on hydrogen investment, market development and cost
competitiveness, Hydrogen Council.
20
Hydrogen Council and McKinsey & Company (2021) Hydrogen Insights: A perspective on hydrogen investment, market development and cost
competitiveness, Hydrogen Council.

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 13
 Figure 13: International hydrogen commercial project pipeline 21

Derived from McKinsey and Hydrogen Council (2021) Hydrogen Insights: An updated perspective on hydrogen investment, market development
and momentum in China. McKinsey & Company

The scope of this report is on RD&D projects. For information on commercial hydrogen projects, see
HyResource, an online knowledge sharing platform across the hydrogen community, led by CSIRO,
Future Fuels CRC, NERA and the Australian Hydrogen Council.

HyResource provides a directory of publicly available databases and information sources on

international projects: https://research.csiro.au/hyresource/projects/international/

Summary of findings from individual country reports

The Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities country reports provide detailed analysis on 10 countries.
This section summarises the key findings of these reports. Hydrogen RD&D collaboration opportunities
were identified using qualitative and quantitative metrics across each detailed hydrogen area. This
includes:
• The RD&D priorities stated in country documents (supplemented by in-country consultations); and
• Hydrogen activity at different stages of technology development (research, patent and deployment
activity).
The individual country report chapters also provide an overview of each selected country’s hydrogen
innovation system, and key players in government, research and industry consortia across the hydrogen
landscape. The reports examine hydrogen policy, hydrogen RD&D funding, key domestic and international
RD&D programs and projects.

21
Figure derived from Hydrogen Council and McKinsey & Company (2021) Hydrogen Insights: A perspective on hydrogen investment, market
development and cost competitiveness, Hydrogen Council.

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 14
1.7.1 Detailed breakdown of country RD&D priorities
The country level analysis includes a deep dive into the technical RD&D priorities related to each country.
These priorities are collated from national strategies, plans and roadmaps, and RD&D publications from
public institutions, including government commissioned publications (see individual country reports for
references used). Further, consultations held with in-country experts were used to validate these findings.
It is important to note that for some countries, RD&D priorities can vary between government and industry,
and also between different research institutions. For others, technology priorities are centralised and
consistent across stakeholders. In light of the rapidly changing landscape, these will likely change over time.

Figure 14: RD&D collaboration opportunities across the value chain

Legend:
RD&D collaboration opportunity based on stated RD&D priorities in key country documents

Production
Rep.
RD&D Opportunities Canada ChinaA France Germany IndiaB Japan Singapore UK USA Australia
Korea
Electrolysis ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
PEM ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Alkaline (incl. chlor alklali) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
SOE ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
AEM ✓ ✓
C / HC Assisted
Fossil Fuel Conversion ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
CCS / CCUS ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Coal Gasification ✓ ✓ ✓
Coal/Oil Pyrolysis
Methane Pyrolysis ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
SMR / CO2 reforming / CST methane reforming / Autothermal reforming ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Other (incl. chemical looping, partial oxidation) ✓
Biomass & Waste conversion ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Thermal Water Splitting ✓ ✓ ✓
Biological hydrogen production ✓ ✓ ✓
Photochemical / Photocatalytic ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Nuclear electrolysis ✓ ✓ ✓

*In the Australian context, fossil fuel conversion technologies are only considered a priority with CCS
A
Further detail pending the release of China’s hydrogen roadmap
B
Further detail pending the release of India’s hydrogen mission publications

Storage and distribution

Rep.
RD&D Opportunities Canada ChinaA France Germany IndiaB Japan Singapore UK USA Australia
Korea
Compression and Liquefaction ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Compression ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Liquefaction ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Pressurised storage ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Pipelines (Pure H2) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Underground Storage ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Chemical ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Ammonia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
LOHCs ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Hydrides (metal, organic, complex) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Synthetic fuels (incl. methanol, DME and others) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Physisorption ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Tube trailers and tank lorries ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Carrier Ships ✓ ✓
A
Further detail pending the release of China’s hydrogen roadmap
B
Further detail pending the release of India’s hydrogen mission publications

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 15
Utilisation
Rep.
RD&D Opportunities Canada ChinaA France Germany IndiaB Japan Singapore UKB USA Australia
Korea
Gas Blending ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Pipelines (Blended H2) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Appliances ✓ ✓
Gas separation ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Transport ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
PEMFCs ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Refuelling stations ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Aviation ✓ ✓ ✓
Internal combustion engines ✓ ✓
Electricity Generation ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Ammonia turbines ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Hydrogen turbines ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Fuel Cells ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
AEMFC ✓
PEMFC ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
AFC
SOFC ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Reversible fuel cells ✓ ✓
Other Fuel Cells (ammonia, molten carbonate, methanol, microbial) ✓ ✓ ✓
Industrial Processes ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Steel processing ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Combustion ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Synthetic fuels ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Methanol production ✓ ✓ ✓
Fuel Cell Ships ✓ ✓ ✓
Carbon recycling technology ✓ ✓
Cold-energy recovery ✓
Other industry (incl. cement, pulp/paper, agriculture) ✓

** In the Australian context, heavy and long-distance vehicles are a priority

*** In the Australian context, electricity generation for remote area power systems, back-up power and grid support are a priority
A
Further detail pending the release of China’s hydrogen roadmap
B
Further detail pending the release of India’s hydrogen mission publications

1.7.2 Detailed breakdown of country activity

Hydrogen innovation activity occurs at different stages of technology development. This spans the
innovation cycle from basic research, applied research and demonstration to deployment at scale. The
country reports have analysed respective country activities at each stage of the innovation cycle by drawing
on three different datasets: a research publication scan performed by the CSIRO, patent analytics
performed by IP Australia, 22 and the IEA’s low-carbon hydrogen projects database. 23

Figure 15: Hydrogen innovation activity

22
IP Australia (2021) Patent analytics on hydrogen technology https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-resources/publications-reports/patent-
analytics-hydrogen-technology
23
IEA (2021) Hydrogen Projects Database, October 2021. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-product/hydrogen-projects-database

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 16
Research activity
Basic and applied research usually relates to technologies with a lower TRL. These are often next
generation technologies, with a longer-term commercialisation outlook.

Patent activity
Patent data gives an indication of research and development activity occurring at a higher TRL. These are
usually cutting-edge technologies that have potential for demonstration, scale-up and commercialisation in
the short- to medium- term. The following graphs were derived from data extracts provided by IP
Australia’s Patent analytics on hydrogen technology. Figure 16 shows the number of patent families
originating in each country for each hydrogen sub-technology area.

Figure 16: Patent families originating in each country by sub-technology

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 17
Domestic demonstration and deployment activity
Feasibility studies and demonstration and commercial project activity give an indication of commercial
implementation and scale-up focus areas. It should be noted that technologies used on domestic projects
may have been developed domestically or obtained from an overseas technology provider. In either case,
project activity can also speak to the potential for collaboration and knowledge sharing in skills, trades and
implementation ‘know-how’.
The following graph was derived from the IEA’s Hydrogen Projects Database 24 (data as at October 2021).
The IEA project database, specifically the ‘clean hydrogen’ projects (i.e. hydrogen production from
renewable electrolysis, biomass and waste, and fossil fuel conversion with CCS or CCUS, and their value
chains). For the purposes of this report, the dataset has been filtered to include only projects from 2010
through to projects expected to be operational by 2030 as this timespan best reflects current activities.
Further, only projects that are at feasibility study, final investment decision, demonstration, or operational
stage are included.

Figure 17: Count of 'Clean Hydrogen' projects in each country by sub-technology area

24
IEA (2021) Hydrogen Projects Database. Available at https://www.iea.org/reports/hydrogen-projects-database

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 18
1.7.3 Summary of key stakeholders in the international landscape
Table 2 presents a non-exhaustive summary of the key bodies at the national level that are most active in
the policy, funding, and implementation of RD&D in country hydrogen ecosystems. A complete list of key
players for each country can be found in individual country report chapters. This includes a description of
their roles in the science and innovation ecosystem, and a description of their specific activities with
respect to hydrogen.

Table 2: Key global hydrogen stakeholders

Country Government Research Consortia

Canada Innovation, Science and National Research Council Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Economic Development (NRC) Association (CHFCA)
Canada (ISED)
CanmetENERGY Hydrogen Business Council of
Natural Resources Canada Canada (HBCoC)
Ontario Tech University
(NRCan)
McGill University
Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council University of British Columbia
of Canada (NSERC)

China NEC – National Energy Chinese Academy of Sciences China Hydrogen Alliance
Commission (CAS) (H2CN)
National Development and Energy Research Institute China Society of Automotive
Reform Committee (NDRC) (ERI) Engineers
Ministry of Science and Chinese Academy of
Technology (MOST) Engineering (CAE)
Tsinghua University

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 19
 Country Government Research Consortia
Ministry of Industry and Tianjin University
Information Technology
Zhejiang University
(MIIT)

France National Research Agency Centre Nationale de France Hydrogène

(ANR) Recherche Scientifique
Europe:
(CNRS)
Agency for Ecological
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint
Transition (ADEME) Alternative Energies and
Undertaking (FCH JU)
Atomic Energy Commission
(CEA)

Germany Ministry of Economic Affairs Fraunhofer Institute National Organisation for

and Climate Action (BMWK, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell
Helmholtz Association
was BMWi) Technology (NOW GmBh)
Ministry of Education and Europe:
Research (BMBF)
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint
Undertaking (FCH JU)

India Ministry of New and Council of Scientific & Indian Hydrogen Alliance
Renewable Energy (MNRE) Industrial Research (CSIR) (IH2A)
Department of Scientific and National Institute of
Industrial Research (DSIR) Technology (NIT System)
Department of Science and Academy of Scientific and
Technology (DST) Innovation Research (AcSIR)

Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade National Institute of CO2-free Hydrogen Energy

and Industry (METI) Advanced Industrial Science Supply-chain Technology
and Technology (AIST) Research Association
New Energy and Industrial
(HySTRA)
Technology Development Kyushu University
Organisation (NEDO) Advanced Hydrogen Energy
Kyoto University
Chain Association for
Japan Science and
University of Tokyo Technology Development
Technology Agency (JST)
(AHEAD)
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals
Japan Hydrogen Association
National Corporation
(JH2A)
(JOGMEC)
Clean Fuel Ammonia
Association (CFAA)

Singapore Ministry of Trade and Agency for Science, Centre for Hydrogen
Industry/Economic Technology and Research Innovations (CHI)
Development Board/Energy (A*STAR)
Singapore Energy Centre
Market Authority
Nanyang Technological (SgEC)
University

Republic of Korea Ministry of Trade Industry Korea Advanced Institute of H2KOREA

and Energy (MOTIE) Science and Technology
HyNet Consortium
(KAIST)

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 20
 Country Government Research Consortia
National Research Council of Korea Institute of Energy
Science and Technology (NST) Research (KIER)

US Department of Energy (DOE): Department of Energy (DOE) H2@Scale 26

national laboratories
Office of Energy Efficiency & Fuel cell and Hydrogen
Renewable Energy (EERE) DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Energy Association (FCHEA)
Technologies Office research
Office of Fossil Energy and 21st Century Truck
consortia 25
Carbon Management (FECM) Partnership
Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
Office of Science (SC)
Office of Clean Energy
Demonstrations (OCED)

UK Department for Business, UK Research and Innovation- UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell
Energy and Industrial Engineering and Physical Association (UK HFCA)
Strategy (BEIS) Sciences Council (UKRI-
EPSRC)
UK Research and Innovation
(UKRI) Imperial College London
Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC)

25
EERE (2022) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office consortia. https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-and-fuel-cell-technologies-
office-consortia
26
H2@Scale Initiative: https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/h2scale

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 21
Appendix
International Hydrogen strategy references
The assessment of global production and end-use pathways was inferred from a range of documents
including national strategies and roadmaps, consultancy and industry documents and roadmaps where
national strategies were not available, and in consultations with in-country stakeholders.
Multiple countries:
Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnic GmbH (2020) International Hydrogen Strategies: A study commissioned by
and in cooperation with the World Energy Council Germany. World Energy Council, Germany
https://www.weltenergierat.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WEC_H2_Strategies_finalreport.pdf
World Energy Council, EPRI and PwC (2021) Working Paper: National Hydrogen Strategies
https://www.worldenergy.org/assets/downloads/Working_Paper_-_National_Hydrogen_Strategies_-
_September_2021.pdf
Canada
Natural Resources Canada (2020) Hydrogen Strategy for Canada: Seizing the Opportunities for Hydrogen –
A Call to Action
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/environment/hydrogen/NRCan_Hydrogen-Strategy-
Canada-na-en-v3.pdf
China
MarkLines (2021) China Energy-saving Vehicle & NEV Roadmap 2.0: Curbing Carbon Emissions for a Green
Society https://www.marklines.com/en/report/rep2142_202104
Energy Iceberg (2021) China’s Hydrogen Market in 14th Five-Year Plan: Provincial Strategy Breakdown.
https://energyiceberg.com/hydrogen-14th-fyp-provincial-strategy/#Provinces_Prioritizing_Hydrogen
France
French Government (2020) National strategy for the development of decarbonised and renewable
hydrogen in France. https://www.bdi.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/PressKitProvisionalDraft-National-
strategy-for-the-development-of-decarbonised-and-renewable-hydrogen-in-France.pdf
Ministry of Ecological Transition (2018) Hydrogen deployment plan for the energy transition. (In French)
https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/Plan_deploiement_hydrogene.pdf
Fuel Cell Joint Undertaking (2020) Opportunities for Hydrogen Energy Technologies Considering the
National Energy & Climate Plans: France.
https://www.fch.europa.eu/sites/default/files/file_attach/Brochure%20FCH%20France%20%28ID%209473
038%29.pdf
Germany
BMWi (2020) The National Hydrogen Strategy. The Federal Government, Germany
https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/EN/Publikationen/Energie/the-national-hydrogen-
strategy.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=6
Fuel Cell Joint Undertaking (2020) Opportunities for Hydrogen Energy Technologies Considering the
National Energy & Climate Plans: Germany.
https://www.fch.europa.eu/sites/default/files/file_attach/Brochure%20FCH%20Germany%20%28ID%2094
73039%29.pdf

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 22
India
FTI Consulting (2020) India’s Energy Transition Towards a Green Hydrogen Economy: White Paper on
Building a Green Hydrogen Economy and Policy Roadmap for India
http://images.info.fticonsulting.com/Web/FTIConsultingInc/%7Ba15cdad1-1916-4f95-bad9-
34cf950f842c%7D_FTI_Hydrogen_Green_Energy_Report_20201202.pdf
Japan
METI (2019) The Strategic Road Map for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2019/pdf/0312_002b.pdf
METI (2021) Green Growth Strategy.
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/energy_environment/global_warming/ggs2050/pdf/ggs_full_en101
3.pdf
Ministerial Council on Renewable Energy, Hydrogen and Related Issues (2017) Basic Hydrogen Strategy,
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
Singapore
KBR and Argus Media (2020) Study of Hydrogen Imports and Downstream Applications for Singapore.
Prepared for the National Climate Change Secretariat, Strategy Group, Prime Minister’s Office.
https://www.nccs.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/hydrogen-study-report.pdf
The Republic of Korea
Government of the Republic of Korea (2020) 2050 Carbon Neutral Strategy of the Republic of Korea.
https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/LTS1_RKorea.pdf
United Kingdom
HM Government (2021) UK Hydrogen Strategy.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1011
283/UK-Hydrogen-Strategy_web.pdf
United States
DOE (2020) Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Plan
https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/hydrogen-program-plan-2020.pdf
Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (2020) Road Map to a US Hydrogen Economy
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53ab1feee4b0bef0179a1563/t/5e7ca9d6c8fb3629d399fe0
c/1585228263363/Road+Map+to+a+US+Hydrogen+Economy+Full+Report.pdf
2022 AMR Plenary Session, Dr Sunita Satyapal
https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/review22/plenary4_satyapal_2022_o.pdf

CSIRO Australia’s National Science Agency Hydrogen RD&D Collaboration Opportunities: Global Report | 23
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