22. August 2025 | Press releases:

Innovation boost for hydrogen technology TU Braunschweig and Fraunhofer IST set up new H₂ infrastructure

Joint press release by Technische Universität Braunschweig and the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST

A state-of-the-art research platform for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies is being built at the Lower Saxony Research Centre for Vehicle Technology (NFF) at Technische Universität Braunschweig. The aim is to comprehensively expand a gaseous and liquid hydrogen infrastructure to support both basic and application-oriented research in the field of energy storage and propulsion. On 21 August, Science Minister Falko Mohrs officially presented funding approvals totalling around 4.3 million euros to TU Braunschweig and the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, of which just under 4 million euros will go to TU Braunschweig and over 300,000 euros to the Fraunhofer IST.

The project is part of an initiative by TU Braunschweig and the Fraunhofer IST: Both research institutions jointly use the NFF infrastructure at the Research Airport Braunschweig, where they conduct research into technologies for the more efficient use, distribution and storage of hydrogen. For project manager Junior Professor Michael Heere, the new research platform is a sign of the transformation at the Lower Saxony Research Centre for Vehicle Technology (NFF) as an active member of the scientific ecosystem at the TU Braunschweig: “Combustion engines will continue to play a role in the future – but less in private transport and more in areas where electrification is not (yet) possible, such as large ship engines, trains on non-electrified lines or in shunting operations. Overall, we are moving towards new drive technologies – with batteries, hydrogen or their derivatives – for the mobility of the future.”

While fuel cells with a maximum output of 2 kilowatts could previously be tested at the NFF, drive powers of 5 to 200 kilowatts are to be tested within three years. Such a test infrastructure is unique at a university facility in northern Germany. This performance class is possible thanks to the close cooperation between Professor Michael Heere from TU Braunschweig and Professor Sabrina Zellmer, deputy director at Fraunhofer IST and university professor for battery and fuel cell process technology at TU Braunschweig. Two grants for the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure form the basis for this long-term cooperation.

Professor Heere wants to use the new research platform to open up new areas of application: “Hydrogen drives will play less of a role in individual mobility. Electric drives are clearly ahead here. At the NFF, we are convinced that hydrogen can score points in aviation, heavy commercial vehicles and industrial applications, such as heavy industry. To this end, we in Lower Saxony, a state with a strong energy sector, want to not only produce hydrogen, but also keep the added value in the state’s manufacturing industry.”

Falko Mohrs, Lower Saxony Minister of Science:

“Hydrogen is an important focus of forward-looking energy research in Lower Saxony and offers many concrete applications. As the state government, we are supporting the Lower Saxony Research Centre for Vehicle Technology (NFF) in further expanding its research and testing environment for hydrogen. This will create an infrastructure in which the use of hydrogen as an energy source will be researched, developed and continuously improved, particularly for vehicles, but also for many other areas of application. In this way, we are combining the future-oriented topics of renewable energies and sustainable mobility at a local level.”

Angela Ittel, President of TU Braunschweig:

“The H2-iNFFra project is more than just an investment in infrastructure – it is a commitment to a climate-neutral future with hydrogen as a key technology. Braunschweig is thus maintaining its technological openness and consolidating its role as a research location in a strong scientific ecosystem. As a hydrogen hub, we will develop sustainable mobility and energy storage solutions – for the benefit of research, industry and society.”

Hydrogen as a key technology

Hydrogen is considered a central element of the energy transition – especially in the transport sector, for example for commercial vehicles, ships, aircraft and heavy-duty transport. It can be used both electrochemically in fuel cells and thermally in combustion engines. Gaseous hydrogen (GH₂) and, in particular, cryogenic liquefied hydrogen (LH₂) are used for transport and storage.

Ammonia (NH₃) is an alternative form of storage with a higher volumetric energy density than LH₂ and lower energy requirements for liquefaction and transport. NH₃ offers great potential, for example in shipping and agriculture, but is still relatively undeveloped in terms of mobility applications.

Research ecosystem for hydrogen

With H2-iNFFra, the Braunschweig researchers are providing a strong impetus for the transformation of the mobility and energy sector towards climate neutrality. The resulting research platform will not only be a driver of innovation, but also a central basis for cooperation between science and industry on the road to the hydrogen economy of the future.

In particular, the NFF’s links with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the Steinbeis Innovation Centre energieplus and the Salzgitter Hydrogen Campus are creating a unique research ecosystem in the Braunschweig region. “This will be further expanded with the laying of the foundation stone for the Centre for Circular Production of Next Batteries and Fuel Cells (CPC) this week. This will strengthen our position as one of the leading locations in Germany for battery and fuel cell research,” says Professor Heere.

“H2-iNFFra enables us to test new technologies directly in real-world application scenarios. The close cooperation between Fraunhofer and the TU Braunschweig offers new and innovative approaches. We also benefit from the proximity to the Fraunhofer Centre for Energy Storage and Systems ZESS and the planned Centre for Circular Production of Next Batteries and Fuel Cells (CPC), which will work closely with the Battery LabFactory Braunschweig (BLB) under the umbrella of BLB+,” says Professor Sabrina Zellmer from Fraunhofer IST.

Project details:

  • The project ‘H2 Infrastructure at the NFF – H2-iNFFra [TUBS]’ will be carried out from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027 and has a total volume of around 4.9 million euros, of which over 3.9 million euros will be provided by funding for TU Braunschweig.
  • The project ‘H2 Infrastructure at the NFF – H2-iNFFra [IST]’ will be carried out from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027 and has a total volume of around 420,000 euros, of which over 340,000 euros will be provided by funding for the Fraunhofer IST.

Funding is provided under the ‘Innovation through Universities and Research Institutions’ guideline via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture. On the part of Technische Universität Braunschweig, the Institute for Internal Combustion Engines and Fuel Cells (ivb), the Lower Saxony Research Centre for Vehicle Technology (NFF) and the Institute for Thermodynamics (IfT) are involved, while the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Mobility Research Focus are also providing their own funds.