University of Newcastle joins hydrogen partnership

The University of Newcastle has announced that it is one of more than a dozen international signatories on a new Global Partnership for Hydrogen Innovation. An official signing of the partnership agreement took place on 10 May 2023 at the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The partnership sees universities, innovation hubs and international ports from Australia, Brazil, Chile, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands commit to working together to accelerate innovation for green hydrogen.

“Shifts in energy production practices and the impacts of climate change are creating an unprecedented need for countries to rapidly transition to renewable energy,” said Professor Zee Upton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Newcastle. “Australia is one of many nations turning to hydrogen as part of a new energy mix, and we’re collaborating with industry and government partners worldwide to drive opportunities that will make a positive difference to our regions and our world.

“As a member of the Global Partnership for Hydrogen Innovation, we are reaffirming our commitment to sharing, scaling and supporting hydrogen innovations on a global level.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky AO said, “The University of Newcastle is absolutely committed to working with our partners to grow new industries and help accelerate innovation for green hydrogen globally and for our region. We have the innovation capabilities and the industry relationships to do this, and we’re excited to be a key partner.”

The Hunter Region has complementary research, infrastructure and industrial expertise to accelerate renewable hydrogen generation, storage and use. According to Upton, this marries perfectly with the model for the Global Partnership for Hydrogen Production which sees universities, innovation hubs and international ports as critical and equal drivers in building up the hydrogen sector and creating our next-generation resources.

Hydrogen innovations at the University of Newcastle

Driven by expertise within the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) and the College of Engineering, Science and Environment, the University’s hydrogen research capabilities span hydrogen production, storage, utilisation and cross-cutting technologies.

The University is also driving clean energy innovation through its partnership with UNSW on the Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE), which aims to transform the way technology readiness, commercialisation and industry-led research is delivered to support SMEs and large industries.

Through initiatives like its Energy Doctoral Training Centre, the University supports industry-embedded PhD programs that help improve the employability of research students, and it has also introduced a Bachelor of Renewable Energy Engineering to give the next generation of energy engineers the skills and experience they need to thrive in new energy economies.

The University has strategic collaboration agreements in place with organisations like the Port of Newcastle to advance new energy opportunities as well as education and innovation programs. The Port of Newcastle is also a strategic partner in the University’s Integrated Innovation Network (I2N), which helps entrepreneurs and startups develop enterprise skills, validate innovative ideas and accelerate solutions to market.

Image caption: A group of partnership representatives at the World Hydrogen Awards. Source: SEC/WHS 2023