GEXCON AS

Their core work

GEXCON AS is a Norwegian specialist company in gas explosion safety, consequence modeling, and risk assessment — best known for developing simulation tools used to predict and mitigate hazardous gas releases, fires, and explosions in industrial settings. In H2020, they led pre-normative safety research on hydrogen vented deflagrations (HySEA), directly contributing to the technical foundations of hydrogen safety codes and standards. They also bring simulation and modeling expertise into manufacturing digitalization contexts, as seen through their participation in the Fortissimo 2 HPC simulation platform project. Their real-world value is translating complex physical phenomena — blast waves, gas dispersion, flame propagation — into engineering-grade models that inform safety regulations and facility design.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both of GEXCON's H2020 projects ran in the same window (2015–2018), so there is no meaningful temporal evolution to detect within the dataset — keyword data is absent for both periods, making trend analysis unreliable. What the project pair does reveal is a consistent dual identity: deep domain expertise in explosion and hydrogen safety on one axis, and simulation software capability on the other. Without later-period projects, it is not possible to determine whether they deepened their hydrogen focus, expanded into adjacent risk domains, or shifted toward digitalization.

With only two projects both ending in 2018, no directional signal can be confirmed — but their coordinator role in hydrogen safety research positions them well for the post-2020 hydrogen economy expansion.

How they like to work

GEXCON coordinates when the project is in their core domain (hydrogen safety) and joins as a specialist partner when the value they add is their simulation software or technical modeling expertise. Despite only two projects, they accumulated 45 unique consortium partners across 11 countries — suggesting they work in large, multi-partner consortia rather than tight bilateral collaborations. This profile fits an organization that contributes a defined technical capability and is brought in specifically for that capability, not as a generalist consortium builder.

GEXCON has worked with 45 unique partners across 11 countries from just two projects, indicating participation in large international consortia. Their network spans Northern and Western Europe at minimum, consistent with FCH (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen) and Factories of the Future program structures.

What sets them apart

GEXCON occupies a rare niche as a private company that combines proprietary explosion simulation software with direct involvement in writing the safety standards that govern how that software gets used — making them both tool provider and standards author. In the hydrogen safety space specifically, this dual role gives them unusual credibility: they are not just modeling risk, they are shaping what "safe" means for hydrogen infrastructure. For consortium builders in hydrogen energy or industrial safety, GEXCON brings technical depth that most research institutes cannot match and regulatory influence that most software vendors lack.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HySEA
  Coordinator role on a Fuel Cells and Hydrogen JU project focused on pre-normative hydrogen safety research — placing GEXCON at the center of standard-setting for hydrogen energy applications in Europe.
• Fortissimo 2
  Participation in a major Factories of the Future HPC simulation platform demonstrates that GEXCON's modeling capabilities extend beyond safety into broader industrial digitalization contexts.