HyReCo Kick-off Meeting in Paris

On 27 January 2026, the partners of the HyReCo project met in Paris for the official kick-off meeting. The trinational consortium from Germany, France and the Czech Republic used this first face-to-face meeting to align the technical work plan, confirm responsibilities and refine the shared vision for a cost-efficient AEM electrolyser cell and a digital twin platform.

Objectives of the kick-off

The kick-off meeting marked the formal start of the collaborative work within the CETPartnership Joint Call 2024 (project code CETP‑2024‑00099). The main objectives of the meeting were to:

• present the overall project concept and expected impacts of HyReCo,
• confirm the AEM cell and 10‑cell demonstrator concept and interfaces between components,
• coordinate the detailed work plan, milestones and deliverables across all work packages,
• clarify data exchange, open science, LCA/LCC and digital twin integration,
• integrate feedback from advisory board members and associated hydrogen clusters at an early stage.

Technical focus and discussion

After a welcome by the project coordinator Dr‑Ing. Ulrike Beyer (Fraunhofer IWU, Referenzfabrik.H2), each core partner introduced its role and competencies. The technical discussions then focused on the core pillars of HyReCo:

• AEM cell concept and demonstrator: Review of the model demonstrator and reference system, discussion of stack architecture, operating conditions and requirements for high‑rate capable components.
• Bipolar (half) plates and PTL: Material options for stretch‑forming steel with intelligent coatings and ultra‑thin graphite composite plates, integration of wire mesh and PTL concepts, and implications for forming, joining and corrosion behaviour.
• Membranes and CCMs: Plan for harmonised testing of commercial AEMs (e.g. DURAION®, FAAM‑20, FAAM‑PK‑75 and Chemours membranes), including stress tests and follow‑up analyses to build a common durability and performance database.
• Modelling and digital twin: Definition of the modelling workflow from high‑fidelity CFD/FEA and electrochemical models to reduced‑order and AI‑based models, initial concepts for using Invertible Neural Networks (INNs), and the data architecture for the digital twin.
• LCA/LCC and sustainability: First outline of the Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing activities in collaboration with Capgemini Engineering, focusing on environmental and cost hotspots for bipolar plates, PTL and membranes.

Consortium coordination and next steps

The partners agreed on a clear governance structure with regular steering meetings and short development sprints for the modelling and digital twin work. Work Package leaders from Fraunhofer IWU, Albert Schmutzler, UPHF and VSB presented detailed plans for the first project months, including:

• finalising specifications for BPP, PTL and membranes (WP1),
• setting up simulation environments and reference test protocols (WP2),
• starting material procurement and first component trials for PTL and BPP/HP (WP3),
• defining the data structure and measurement concept for the HyReCo demonstrator (WP4),
• planning dissemination activities with hydrogen clusters such as HZwo e.V. (WP6).

Outlook

With the kick-off meeting completed, HyReCo now enters the concept and modelling phase. In the coming months, the consortium will work on the detailed AEM cell design, functional models for the main components and the first steps towards a digital twin of the HyReCo system.

Updates on progress, publications and events will be published regularly on this website and via the hydrogen cluster networks.

If you are interested in HyReCo or potential collaboration, please visit the 

Project Overview page or contact the team via the Contact page.