SOLUCIONES CATALITICAS IBERCAT SL

Their core work

IBERCAT ("Iberian Catalytic Solutions") is a Madrid-based SME whose core business is developing and producing catalytic materials for energy applications. Their participation in POROUS4APP points to expertise in synthesizing doped nanoporous carbon materials — the kind of engineered catalyst supports used in electrochemical and thermochemical processes. In PRETZEL, they contributed to high-pressure PEM water electrolyzer technology under the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking, indicating hands-on capability in electrocatalysis for green hydrogen production. They operate as a specialist materials supplier and R&D partner in larger consortia, bringing precise catalytic chemistry knowledge that most engineering partners cannot provide in-house.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IBERCAT's two-project H2020 trajectory shows a deliberate shift from general catalytic materials toward hydrogen-specific electrochemical applications. Their first project (2016) focused on nanoporous carbon synthesis for broad energy and catalysis use cases — foundational materials science. Their second project (2018) moved into PEM electrolyzer technology under the dedicated FCH2 funding scheme, a much more applied and commercially driven program. This progression suggests the company is consciously repositioning its catalytic materials expertise toward the growing green hydrogen market rather than remaining a generic catalyst supplier.

IBERCAT is moving toward green hydrogen infrastructure, specifically as a catalyst materials specialist for water electrolysis — a segment where demand is accelerating under EU decarbonisation policy.

How they like to work

IBERCAT has participated exclusively as a consortium partner, never leading a project, which is consistent with a specialist SME that contributes defined materials expertise rather than managing large research programs. Across just two projects they accumulated 24 unique partners in 11 countries — unusually broad for a company this size — suggesting they are sought out as a specific technical component rather than a general partner. This profile makes them a predictable, low-overhead consortium member: they deliver a well-scoped technical contribution and do not compete for coordination roles.

IBERCAT has worked with 24 distinct partners across 11 countries from only 2 projects, averaging 12 consortium members per project — typical of Innovation Actions and FCH2 programs that bring together diverse industrial and research actors. Their network spans European geography with no evident concentration in a single country.

What sets them apart

IBERCAT occupies a narrow but strategically valuable niche: a private Spanish SME with demonstrated capability in both nanoporous carbon synthesis and PEM electrolysis catalysis, two technically adjacent fields that are converging in green hydrogen applications. Most catalyst SMEs operate in one domain; IBERCAT's project record suggests cross-competency between advanced carbon materials and electrochemical systems. For a consortium building a hydrogen technology project that needs a specialist catalyst partner rather than a large industrial supplier, IBERCAT offers focused expertise without the overhead of a major chemical company.

Highlights from their portfolio

• POROUS4APP
  Largest budget project (EUR 233,645) and the only one under Innovation Action scheme, indicating it targeted commercial pilot-scale output rather than pure research.
• PRETZEL
  Funded under FCH2-RIA — the EU's dedicated Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking — placing IBERCAT inside Europe's core green hydrogen R&D community.