Knowledge transfer and training of civil servants, safety officials, and permitting staff to improve safety assessment and licensing procedures across Europe

The project will compile the existing evaluation, permitting, and licensing procedures for hydrogen projects across Europe in order to establish the training material. From this base, the project will compile present best practices for permitting Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH) technologies across the EU into a handbook. The project will provide training to public officials and all other types of staff engaged in permit applications, project assessment and certification, and permit granting. This will allow streamlining project implementation and ensure effective permitting and licensing procedures. Projects should further address the knowledge transfer between Hydrogen Valleys and between Member States on permitting and certification of hydrogen projects, for example, based on the best practice handbook.

Assessment, permitting, and licensing processes to be covered include all those referring to the built environment, the energy system infrastructure and industrial infrastructures. This, for instance, includes hydrogen refuelling stations and hydrogen technology installations in residential, administrative, or commercial buildings, as well as the application of hydrogen in industry, and the implementation of energy distribution infrastructure, which all might require a permit or license to be built and/or to operate, depending on European, Member State or Associated Country regulations.

Trainings are to be provided in at least 10 EU languages in order to assure application to the existing Hydrogen Valleys funded by the JU and further widespread uptake in a significant number of EU and Associated Countries. Training material is to be provided in blended learning mode, mixing online asynchronous elements with on-site, in-person, or synchronous online training measures. This will allow trainees to follow courses alongside their day-to-day work, managing their own educational effort and the time spent on the courses. The success of training will be assessed, and participants issued with a meaningful and recognised certificate of accomplishment. Train-the-trainer activities should also be foreseen to multiply the impact. Suitable material should be made available to the public free of charge.

Proposals should address all of the following:

• Analysis of evaluation, permitting, and licensing procedures across the EU, covering at least all countries with Hydrogen Valleys. In addition proposals should cover all remaining Tier1 and Tier2 countries, and a selection of Tier3 countries as deemed suitable by the applicants, ensuring an effective implementation of training programmes that can understand and explain the differences in procedures in the different target countries;
• Development and implementation of comprehensive training programmes in the target countries and/or regions (at least, as a minimum, in all countries with Hydrogen Valleys supported by the JU[[https://www.clean-hydrogen.europa.eu/get-involved/hydrogen-valleys_en]]) for public officials and staff involved in permit applications, assessment, evaluation, permitting, and licensing of hydrogen projects, covering relevant areas to ensure a deep understanding of principles and practices related to hydrogen projects. This should:
  • Focus on specific evaluation, licensing protocols and procedures in permitting of hydrogen projects;
  • Create educational materials in at least 10 official languages of the EU, ensuring inclusive access to training in the target countries, adding further countries, depending on the languages offered by the project;
  • Align training material with the format and delivery type of the European Hydrogen Academy (HyAcademy.EU[[https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101137988]]);
  • Supply of hands-on, practical hydrogen safety training in all countries covered by the above;
• Supply of train-the-trainer courses to training service providers and institutions with internal training programmes in all countries covered by the above;
• Assessment of educational progress, issuing a certificate recognised by the EU hydrogen industry;
• Introduction of the use of new digital tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in local evaluation and licensing processes, encouraging trainees to use such tools in their day-to-day practice.

Activities should consider synergies with ongoing and past projects developed in Horizon Europe, such as HyLaw[[https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/735977]], HyFacts[[https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/256823]], HYPOP[[https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101111933]], HyAcademy.EU[[https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101137988]] and, as applicable, HyResponder[[https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/875089]], as well as collaboration with ongoing other similar activities in Member States and internationally. Activities should consider cooperation, synergies, and alignment with the future Net-Zero Industry Academies in general. In addition, synergies with projects supported by other programmes and instruments should be explored, e.g the Hy2Market[[Project supported by the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) instrument which is a funding instrument under the ERDF regulation https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projects-details/44416173/101083592/I3]]. Finally, collaboration with the Hydrogen Valleys supported by the JU [[https://www.clean-hydrogen.europa.eu/get-involved/hydrogen-valleys_en]] as well as with other related activites such as those supported in the public contract for the “Hydrogen Valleys Facility” can be expected.

The licensing and certification of transport vehicles (e.g. automobiles, ships, aeroplanes) or of movable goods (e.g. heating boilers, CE certification, etc.) is out of scope.

For additional elements applicable to all topics please refer to section 2.2.3.2.