As the hydrogen sector prepares for October’s European Hydrogen Week 2026, Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe, discusses the key themes and ideas that will be explored there.
Europe’s hydrogen sector is entering a new chapter. For years, the conversation revolved around questions on decarbonisation potential (which industries can clean hydrogen clean up?), on technological development (which technologies will emerge as winners?), and on speed of delivery (how quickly could Europe build a hydrogen economy capable of supporting its climate ambitions?).
Many of those questions have now been answered: across the continent, projects big and small are moving forward, industrial players are reaching final investment decisions, and key sectors have signalled their intent to cut emissions by replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen.
The conversation hasn’t ended, but evolved. Hydrogen is increasingly becoming part of a broader discussion about competitiveness, energy security, and strategic autonomy. The question is no longer whether hydrogen can play a role in Europe’s future, but how effectively it can strengthen Europe’s resilience in an increasingly uncertain world.
The key theme of the 2026 European Hydrogen Week (EUH2Week), one of the largest annual events dedicated to hydrogen, is “Scaling Hydrogen, Strengthening Resilience”. For Innovation News Network readers, what will be most interesting at the event is the key role of technological innovation in the sector and how these advancements can deliver on Europe’s resilience ambitions.
Renewable energy, battery storage, and bio-fuels will all have significant roles in the resilience mission. For hydrogen, its role as a complementary solution for decarbonisation is strengthened once the topic of strategic autonomy – i.e. long-term storage, flexibility, and off-grid capacity – is raised.
Europe is very good at turning money into knowledge – we call that research. But we are still not good enough at turning knowledge back into money – and that is what innovation is about. In hydrogen, we have a unique opportunity to change this. Europe still has world-class technology, engineering and talent, but we need to move faster: less regulatory friction, more risk capital, and a stronger culture of scaling start-ups and SMEs into global champions.
We must not repeat the experience of photovoltaics, where European leadership in technology did not translate into lasting industrial leadership. In hydrogen, the race is still open – but China, India, Japan and Korea are moving fast. Europe has the tools and the talent; now we need speed, pragmatism, and better coordination to turn our innovation advantage into industrial strength.
Innovation in the hydrogen sector means increased availability of, capacity for, and ability towards meeting these ambitions. At EUH2Week, this issue takes centre stage.
Thousands of policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, innovators, investors, and entrepreneurs will explore the next phase of the hydrogen journey together at one of the main stages: the Innovation Forum. Because while policy can create the right framework, and investment can unlock deployment, neither can happen without innovation. Behind every project, every Hydrogen Valley, and every emerging market stands a network of researchers, companies, start-ups, and institutions working to turn ideas into reality.
The Innovation Forum at EUH2Week is where those stories come together.
What to expect at the EUH2Week 2026 when it comes to innovation
The kick-off discussion will explore how Europe can transform research excellence into industrial strength. At a time when competitiveness and resilience are climbing the political agenda, hydrogen is increasingly viewed as a strategic opportunity to strengthen Europe’s industrial base and secure its place in the global clean-tech race.
Many of the innovations shaping the hydrogen sector are emerging from ambitious start-ups and scale-ups developing new technologies, business models, and applications. The challenge is going from concept to execution and staying afloat in tough market conditions. How do innovative companies find financing, industrial partners, and their first customers? And how can Europe ensure its innovators are able to scale at home? These are the questions at the centre of one session dedicated to the entrepreneurs helping shape the next generation of hydrogen solutions.
Across Europe, Hydrogen Valleys are becoming real-world examples of innovation in action, bringing together production, infrastructure, and end-use applications within integrated regional ecosystems.
Discussions will centre around how these projects are helping to bridge the gap between demonstration and commercial deployment, while generating investment and economic value at a local level.
Meanwhile, another session examines how funding programmes, public authorities, and private actors can work together to accelerate the journey from research to market uptake.
Elsewhere at EUH2Week
What will crystallise the innovation insights for attendees is being able to connect the discussions with the wider policy and business landscape shaping the sector – which are also being debated in detail at the EUH2Week.
The High-Level Policy Conference will examine key issues including industrial resilience, investment conditions, lead markets and clean fuel deployment, providing essential insight into the regulatory and political frameworks that will influence hydrogen’s future development. Notable speakers on the policy side will include EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen; DG ENER Deputy Director-General, Mechthild Wörsdörfer; and Ireland’s Minister for State in the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Timmy Dooley. On the industry side, Chair of Hydrogen Europe, Miguel Lopez; CEO of Thyssenkrupp, Nucera Werner Ponikwar; and Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation, will also be speaking during the conference.
At the same time, the B2B Forum will create opportunities for companies, investors, project developers and technology providers to build partnerships and identify concrete business opportunities across the hydrogen value chain – connecting innovative start-ups with each other and with established industry players.
The hydrogen sector is moving from demonstration to deployment, from ambition to implementation, from pipedream to pipeline. The conversations happening at European Hydrogen Week 2026 are more important than ever.
The Innovation Forum offers the opportunity to step back from individual projects and look at the bigger picture: how Europe can turn its innovation capacity into industrial leadership, economic resilience, and long-term competitiveness.
Register to attend (for free!) here.
The European Hydrogen Week is a common cooperation between the European Commission, Hydrogen Europe, and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. In 2026, the event is also organised in partnership with UNIDO. Innovation News Network is a proud media partner of the event.
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