IH-MIE accelerates hydrogen mobility by connecting regions, SMEs, and innovation across Europe.
With transport responsible for nearly 25% of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, hydrogen-powered mobility is a critical solution for sustainable transportation. Recognising its importance, the European Union (EU) has positioned hydrogen as a strategic pillar in its European Green Deal and Hydrogen Strategy, underscoring its role in achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Co-funded by the European Union, within the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument, and led by the Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia, in Spain, the IHMIE (Interregional Hydrogen Mobility Initiative for Europe) project aims to foster innovation, accelerate adoption, and establish a robust ecosystem for hydrogen-powered mobility across Europe, bridging gaps between advanced and less-developed regions.
Challenges of H2 in mobility
Infrastructure deficiency: As of 2023, Europe has 265 hydrogen refuelling stations. This limited infrastructure hampers widespread adoption.
High costs and economic barriers: Green hydrogen production costs in Europe range from €5 to €8 per kilogram, which makes it less competitive with traditional fuels and poses significant challenges for SMEs, which often lack the financial capacity to invest in expensive technologies or scale their operations.
Fragmented ecosystems: Many regions lack cohesive value chains, slowing innovation and market deployment.
Policy gaps: Fragmented policies, inconsistent incentives, and regulatory hurdles, such as permitting delays for hydrogen infrastructure, slow development.
Technology integration: Harmonising hydrogen mobility with existing transport systems and other renewable energy sources requires significant innovation.
Public awareness and perception: Limited public understanding of hydrogen technology and safety concerns reduce consumer demand and adoption.
Sectoral coordination: Weak alignment among stakeholders and underdeveloped integration with sectors like logistics and public transport slow progress.
Regional disparities: Regions with high renewable energy potential lack diversified ecosystems and SME participation – stronger collaboration and ecosystem development are critical.
Value proposition
A central pillar of the IH-MIE initiative is its strong focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – widely recognised as key drivers of innovation in Europe’s clean mobility transition. While large industrial players often dominate hydrogen infrastructure discussions, IH-MIE responds directly to existing market and ecosystem gaps by fostering interregional cooperation and placing SMEs at the centre of technology development, demonstration, and market uptake – particularly in regions where hydrogen ecosystems are still emerging.
To address these challenges, IH-MIE leverages a Hydrogen Mobility Interregional Hub designed to stimulate innovation, investment, and collaboration across participating regions. This hub connects regional ecosystems, clusters, and industry stakeholders, strengthening hydrogen mobility value chains by linking production, infrastructure, and end-use applications through coordinated interregional action.
A key differentiator of IH-MIE is the development and demonstration of real-life pilot projects in participating regions. Seven SME-led pilots will validate hydrogen mobility solutions in operational environments, demonstrating performance, scalability, and replicability. Through interregional collaboration, advanced regions contribute expertise and best practices, while less-developed and transition regions benefit from targeted knowledge transfer – reducing regional disparities and accelerating the deployment of hydrogen mobility solutions across Europe.
To lower entry barriers for SMEs, IH-MIE deploys a cascade funding mechanism that provides direct financial support through competitive open calls. The scheme supports up to 30 SMEs across participating regions, with individual grants of up to €60,000 per beneficiary. The open calls will also address specifical gaps from use cases ensuring interregional and real collaborations, in addition to the identified challenges across the value chain. Funding is awarded through transparent, merit-based procedures, focusing on technological readiness, market relevance, and the potential to contribute to regional and interregional hydrogen mobility value chains. Supported solutions extend beyond hardware development to include system integration, digital solutions, services, and innovative business models.
Financial support is complemented by a structured framework of capacity building, mentoring, and coaching. Selected SMEs receive tailored support from experienced clusters, research centres, and industry experts within the consortium, covering regulatory compliance, certification pathways, safety standards, and cross-border market access. This integrated approach ensures that funded innovations are not only technically sound but also commercially and operationally viable.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 26th edition of our quarterly publication.