The 1st NACHIP Open Call has officially concluded, with seven projects selected to join NACHIP: six led by individual SMEs and one implemented by a consortium of three companies.
Altogether, nine SMEs from Croatia, Italy and Greece will work with NACHIP partners and pilots to develop, validate and prepare practical hydrogen solutions for wider deployment. Their expertise ranges from advanced catalysts and composite hydrogen cylinders to artificial intelligence, process simulation, hydrogen conditioning and digital asset management.
The 1st NACHIP Open Call provided a total budget of €540,000, with funding of up to €60,000 available per SME. The selected projects will connect new expertise with NACHIP’s industrial pilots and strengthen the hydrogen value chains developing across the North Adriatic region.
CENERGY srl (IT) – Hydrogen Intelligent Loading & Unloading System
CENERGY is a university spin-off founded in 2010, specialising in technologies for energy conversion, recovery and storage. Its work includes prototype development and testing, process simulation models and digital twins for optimising energy systems. The company has particular expertise in fuel cells, high-pressure gas systems and the storage and transport of hydrogen and compressed natural gas.
Within NACHIP, CENERGY will finalise and validate HILUS – the Hydrogen Intelligent Loading and Unloading System. Designed for Type III and Type IV composite hydrogen cylinders, HILUS uses thermodynamic modelling, real-time temperature and pressure monitoring and adaptive control to optimise filling and discharge.
The project aims to shorten filling times while keeping cylinder temperatures within material safety limits, thereby reducing stress on cylinder materials and supporting a longer operational lifetime.
Cabro SpA (IT) – Development of a trimetallic catalyst for dehydrogenation in Dynamic Hydrogen Releaser for LOHC
Cabro is an Italian company based in Arezzo, with extensive experience in precious-metal recovery and chemistry. Since beginning its activities in 1987, the company has expanded into precious-metal salts, solutions and products for numerous industrial applications. In 2021, it also entered the production of heterogeneous precious-metal catalysts.
Cabro’s selected project focuses on developing an optimised trimetallic catalyst for the release of hydrogen from Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs). These carriers enable hydrogen to be chemically bound to a liquid for storage and transport and released later through catalytic dehydrogenation.
The new catalyst will be designed for fixed-bed applications. The project will focus on achieving efficient hydrogen release, extending catalyst lifetime and supporting the economic sustainability of LOHC-based hydrogen transport and use.
Green Sustainable Solutions d.o.o. (HR) – From Pilot to Deployment: Enabling Scalable Waste-to-Hydrogen Solutions in the North Adriatic Region
Green Sustainable Solutions is a Croatian consultancy specialising in sustainable energy, hydrogen, the circular economy, clean mobility and EU-funded innovation projects. It supports public and private organisations in transforming early-stage concepts into structured and implementation-oriented projects.
Its selected project will examine how waste-to-hydrogen solutions can progress from pilot-level innovation towards investment, deployment and replication.
The company will prepare practical tools for assessing technical and economic feasibility, investment readiness and replication potential. Its work will also address business modelling, permitting and regulatory requirements, site screening and possible deployment pathways.
Technical findings will be translated into accessible materials for municipalities, waste-management operators, investors and regional innovation stakeholders, supporting informed decisions about the future implementation of waste-to-hydrogen solutions.
SMITH2 (HR) – AI-Optimised Waste-to-Hydrogen Gasification System
SMITH2 is a Zagreb-based research and innovation SME specialising in hydrogen technologies, digital process optimisation and data-driven solutions for energy systems. Its expertise combines hydrogen engineering with artificial intelligence, machine learning and software development.
SMITH2 will develop a digital model of a municipal solid waste gasification system optimised for hydrogen production and supported by AI-based adaptive process control.
Municipal waste can vary considerably in composition, affecting the stability and efficiency of gasification. The proposed system will use digital optimisation and adaptive control to support more consistent production of hydrogen-rich syngas under changing operating conditions.
The project will also explore how the solution can be adapted and transferred to different regions and facility sizes.
MultiFluidX (Lyras EE)(EL) – AI-Accelerated Multiphase CFD for Dynamic Hydrogen Releasers (LOHC Systems)
MultiFluidX is a Computational Fluid Dynamics engineering company specialising in the numerical simulation of complex fluid flow, heat transfer and multiphase systems. Using its MPflow software and high-performance computing, it develops customised simulation solutions for industrial process design, optimisation and scale-up.
Its selected project will develop advanced computer models of a catalyst cartridge used in a Dynamic Hydrogen Releaser.
The simulations will investigate gas–liquid flow, hydrogen generation, pressure drop and catalyst utilisation under different operating conditions. They will also examine how factors such as recirculation flow rate and catalyst particle size affect reactor performance.
The resulting engineering insights will support further optimisation and future scale-up of Dynamic Hydrogen Releaser technology.
CTS H2 SRL (IT) – Intelligent Dynamic Hydrogen Drying and Conditioning System for Stationary Hydrogen Supply Chains
CTS H2 is an Italian technology provider and system integrator based in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. It develops solutions that produce and use green hydrogen across civil, industrial, mobility and transport applications.
Hydrogen produced through electrolysis can contain residual moisture and may be generated under changing flow and pressure conditions. Additional drying and conditioning may therefore be needed before the hydrogen can be stored, distributed or used in downstream applications.
Through iDRY-H2, CTS H2 will design and validate a smart, independently operated and scalable module for stationary hydrogen drying and conditioning. The system will continuously monitor relevant gas-quality parameters and stabilise moisture and purity levels.
Designed to operate between hydrogen production and its subsequent storage or use, the module will be compatible with different flow rates, pressure regimes and downstream technologies.
AlphaWave Ltd, VULPES Ltd and OM Projekt Ltd (HR) – H2-ASSET: Hydrogen Asset Management and Operational Governance Platform
The seventh selected project brings together three Croatian SMEs with complementary expertise in software, sensing and engineering.
AlphaWave develops digital platforms, asset and maintenance management systems, digital twins, AI-supported tools and 3D visualisation. As the project’s software and product lead, it will develop the core H2-ASSET platform, including its asset registry, document management, maintenance workflows, operational records and reporting functions.
VULPES specialises in embedded systems, industrial sensing and ICT engineering for energy-related and safety-critical applications. It will help ensure that the platform reflects real operational requirements and will establish a detailed plan for the future integration of sensor and operational data.
OM Projekt contributes expertise in electrical engineering design, supervision and compliance with Croatian and international engineering standards. It will support the definition of the platform’s asset structure, tagging conventions, documentation requirements and acceptance criteria.
Together, the three companies will develop a digital environment for managing hydrogen assets, maintenance, technical documentation and operational governance. H2-ASSET will establish a structured foundation for integrating operational and sensor data into future asset-management activities.
Connecting specialised expertise with NACHIP pilots
The seven selected projects address different but closely connected challenges across the hydrogen value chain. Some focus on individual technologies, such as catalysts, cylinders and gas-conditioning equipment. Others use simulation, artificial intelligence, deployment planning and digital platforms to improve how hydrogen systems are designed, operated and replicated.
By connecting this expertise with NACHIP’s pilots in Udine, Torviscosa, Zagreb and Velenje, the 1st Open Call will support the development of more complete and market-oriented hydrogen solutions.
The selected SMEs will now begin collaborating with NACHIP partners and pilots. Their progress and results will be shared through the NACHIP website and LinkedIn channel over the coming months.
Congratulations to all the selected companies and project teams!
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