Hydrogen and Batteries Hub in Trentino: A European ecosystem for the energy transition
Why it was created
The Trentino Hydrogen and Batteries Hub was established as part of a strategic decision by the Autonomous Province of Trento to build an integrated research and industry ecosystem aligned with European decarbonization goals. Hydrogen is one of the key energy carriers identified by the Provincial Environmental Energy Plan (PEAP 2030) to support the region’s energy transition.
The project translates this vision into concrete infrastructure: on the one hand, strengthening FBK’s Center for Sustainable Energy as an advanced research platform; on the other, creating an industrial system involving companies, incubators, and financial instruments. Despite its relatively small size, Trentino operates within an international context. It contributes to the development of European hydrogen policies while also attracting resources and strategic opportunities, positioning itself as a laboratory for energy innovation.
FBK’s role
Within this ecosystem, FBK is not simply a research center, but an advanced industrial platform. The new facilities of the Sustainable Energy Center—approximately 20,000 square meters—are being built with support from the European IPCEI Hy2Tech and EuBatIn programs, together with provincial funding, for a total investment of about €50 million.
The facility is designed as a one-stop shop, covering the entire process from the discovery of new materials to validation at industrial scale. FBK can test hydrogen and battery technologies at the megawatt scale, a capability that is rare in Europe and unique in Italy. Its operating model is focused on industrial development: alongside research projects, FBK works with companies through contract-based collaborations, supporting technologies through validation and reducing the risks associated with bringing them to market.
International recognition—including awards and leadership roles in European organizations such as Hydrogen Europe Research—as well as involvement in major strategic programs across the hydrogen supply chain, further strengthens this positioning.
A concrete industrial ecosystem
The Hub is already operational, bringing together complementary players: SolydEra, Tormene, GES (flow batteries), UFI Hydrogen, and new companies planned for the Progetto Manifattura site. Alongside these companies, ecosystem support tools include Trentino Sviluppo, FBK’s Proof of Concept programs, the Start-up Facility, and the Aster fund. The result is a model in which public policy, research, and private capital work together, creating favorable conditions for industrial growth.
One example is the collaboration between FBK and UFI Hydrogen, which are involved in complementary IPCEIs (Hy2Tech and Hy2Move): a structural alliance that integrates research, development, and industrialization across the supply chain, from technology to market, including advanced training.
In Trentino, a European model for energy innovation is taking shape: a fully integrated ecosystem in which research, industry, and institutions work together to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized economy. It is a real-world laboratory where the hydrogen supply chain of the future is being built.
Sokesperson – Luigi Crema
Director of FBK’s Center for Sustainable Energy, Luigi Crema is a physicist and energy transition expert with more than twenty years of experience in research and industry. He works on the development of technology solutions related to hydrogen and batteries, with a strong focus on their practical application and transfer to market. He is Vice President of the Italian Hydrogen Association and Vice President of Hydrogen Europe Research within the European Clean Hydrogen Partnership. He combines scientific expertise with a strong ability to turn innovation into economic value.
