In July 2019, representatives from politics and business met in Salzgitter to join forces and shape the transformation towards a sustainable economy in the region. The use of green hydrogen was the focus of the work right from the start. The founding members have been driving innovations based on green hydrogen in various applications for several years. Supported by the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, this initiative gave rise to an innovation network that has since initiated and implemented various complementary activities and projects: Research and development in the field of production, storage and industrial and mobile use of hydrogen. It also offers educational programs and organizes information events. Today's founding of the Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter as an association is therefore a logical step for the Campus.
"Today is a good day for the region. The coordinated cooperation between stakeholders from business, science, the local authority and the state of Lower Saxony has created a strong network. The Campus will now become a pacemaker for the hydrogen economy in the entire region," emphasizes Matthias Wunderling-Weilbier, State Secretary in the Lower Saxony Regional Ministry and first advisory board member of the association.
"The Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter e.V. is a lighthouse project." Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel
"The Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter e.V. is a lighthouse project that has an impact far beyond the city limits. It is a seed and idea cell for the development of hydrogen technologies in Salzgitter and in our region. The founding of the association marks another important milestone in the transformation and now brings all players from business, science, administration and politics under a common organizational roof," emphasizes Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel and adds: "I have already made the association, which is currently being founded, known to several colleagues in our region as well as other regional players in business and science and have encouraged them to join and actively participate. The association is based in Salzgitter and its field of activity is Salzgitter and our region.
A campus for supra-regional cooperation and synergies
The Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter is more than just a research location. As a lively network, it promotes supra-regional cooperation and highlights synergies. In this context, Michael Gensicke, Managing Director of Robert Bosch Elektronik GmbH, emphasizes the importance of the association's work: "The founding of the e.V. is a strong signal for the close connection between industry, research and politics in our region."
One focus is on further training and promoting innovation
The Campus projects focus on developing sustainable hydrogen technologies to make a decisive contribution to achieving climate targets in all sectors. The Campus began its journey with three pioneering projects: "Conceptualization of a regional hydrogen supply", "Surface treatment for steel hydrogen tanks" and "Factory transformation". These projects not only serve as proof of the innovative strength of the Campus, but also offer concrete recommendations for action for politics and industry. In addition to application-oriented research, the Hydrogen Campus Salzgitter also focuses on training specialists. Prof. Christoph Herrmann, Director of the Fraunhofer IST, Professor at the TU Braunschweig and first Chairman of the association, underlines the importance of education and innovation: "The transfer of knowledge from our research projects via various training formats is a crucial element in preparing specialists for hydrogen technologies. With our educational programs, we are laying the foundation for the implementation of a sustainable hydrogen economy."
Outlook 2024
The founding of the association as Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter e.V. paves the way for further growth and new partnerships. In future, the association will be the contact point for questions relating to the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. For example, research into the production of fuel cells and electrolysers and the implementation of CO2-neutral factories will continue to gain in importance. In addition, the various production, import and use scenarios for green hydrogen must be continuously investigated and innovations must be evaluated from a technical, economic and ecological perspective. National, European and international partnerships also need to be expanded in the interests of a global hydrogen economy.
Interested parties are cordially invited to contact the Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter e.V. to find out more about the association's activities and opportunities for cooperation.