FUNDACION PARA EL DESARROLLO DE LAS NUEVAS TECNOLOGIAS DEL HIDROGENO EN ARAGON

Their core work

FHA is Aragon's dedicated hydrogen technology foundation, operating as a research and demonstration centre across the full hydrogen value chain — from electrolysis and production through to storage, distribution, and end-use in fuel cells. They run pilot projects that test real-world hydrogen integration into energy grids, gas networks, and transport systems. Their work spans technical validation (electrolyser testing, hydrogen injection into gas pipelines, underground storage assessment) as well as cross-cutting activities like safety analysis, sustainability assessment, eco-design guidelines, and regulatory frameworks for hydrogen deployment across Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), FHA focused heavily on electrolyser hardware — building and testing multi-megawatt alkaline and PEM systems, grid balancing applications, and hydrogen production fundamentals. From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward system integration and the broader hydrogen economy: gas grid injection, underground storage, sustainability assessment, eco-design, and synthetic fuel production. This evolution mirrors the European hydrogen sector itself — moving from component-level R&D to full value-chain deployment and regulatory readiness.

FHA is moving toward hydrogen deployment at scale — grid integration, underground storage, synthetic fuels, and sustainability frameworks — positioning them as a go-to partner for projects that need to bridge the gap between lab-proven technology and real-world hydrogen infrastructure.

How they like to work

FHA balances leadership and partnership roles effectively, coordinating 6 of 19 projects (32%) while contributing as a specialist partner in the rest. With 199 unique consortium partners across 31 countries, they operate as a well-connected hub rather than sticking to a tight circle of repeat collaborators. This broad network and willingness to both lead and support makes them a flexible partner — they can anchor a consortium or fill a critical hydrogen expertise gap in someone else's project.

FHA has built an extensive European network of 199 unique partners spanning 31 countries, making them one of the most connected hydrogen-focused organizations in H2020. Their partnerships are geographically diverse with no single dominant axis, reflecting involvement in pan-European hydrogen initiatives from the Netherlands to Mallorca.

What sets them apart

FHA is one of very few European organizations that covers the entire hydrogen value chain — from electrolyser testing and fuel cell systems through to gas grid injection, underground storage, and synthetic fuel production — within a single institution. Their combination of hands-on technical demonstration (they coordinate hardware-intensive projects like ELYntegration and HIGGS) with regulatory and sustainability expertise (HyLAW, eGHOST, SH2E) is rare. For consortium builders, this means FHA can contribute on both the technology and the policy side, reducing the need for separate partners.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ELYntegration
  Their largest single grant (EUR 783,500) as coordinator, demonstrating grid-integrated multi-megawatt alkaline electrolysis — a flagship project for the foundation.
• HIGGS
  Coordinated systematic validation of hydrogen injection into high-pressure gas transmission networks — directly relevant to Europe's gas infrastructure transition.
• 4AirCRAFT
  Their most recent coordinated project (2021–2025), venturing into CO2-to-aviation-fuel synthesis — signalling a strategic expansion into Power-to-X and sustainable aviation fuels.