Keele-led hydrogen research programme scoops top industry award

A Keele-led programme set up to kick-start the hydrogen economy and ecosystem in the Midlands has been recognised with a coveted Knowledge Exchange Award. 

The team behind HyDEX, a collaborative project led by Keele across the Energy Research Accelerator network of Midlands Innovation universities, took home the “Best Place-based Initiative” award at this year’s Knowledge Exchange Awards in Salford, for their work to advance hydrogen research, knowledge exchange and uptake across the Midlands. 

Funded by the Research England Development Fund in 2021, HyDEX was a major project to bring together academic and industry partners to not only raise awareness of hydrogen as a clean energy source in a future low carbon society, but to support the development of a hydrogen-ready economy in the Midlands.  

Over the past three years the team have worked with multinational businesses, SMEs and other partners, to accelerate innovation in hydrogen, build markets and the supply chain, and support the skills needed for the new hydrogen economy and ecosystem. 

The project has also led to a new wave of hydrogen research and innovation at Keele, including the installation of an electrolyser powered by renewable energy generated on campus, which generates green hydrogen for ongoing research activities. 

Dr Charles Creissen, the Principal Investigator on HyDEX from Keele’s School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, said: “This groundbreaking project highlights how innovative lab-based research can be transformed into practical solutions through collaboration and support at regional and national levels. By engineering systems that generate green hydrogen from renewable electricity at Keele, we are now ready to design, develop, and deploy new technology to power a sustainable future.” 

Professor Mark Ormerod OBE, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, added: “I’m delighted that HyDEX has received this award and external recognition for its place-based knowledge exchange activity. HyDEX is a highly innovative, groundbreaking clean energy project. 

“It’s hugely exciting that we are now producing green hydrogen on our University campus through electrolysis of renewable electricity generated by our campus renewable energy park via our Smart Energy Network Demonstrator. 

“Our research and innovation in clean technologies and our campus low carbon living laboratory provides a really important underpinning theme across all our newly launched undergraduate engineering programmes.” 

The KE Awards, organised by Knowledge Exchange UK, celebrates outstanding achievements in knowledge exchange, recognising impactful collaborations and innovation across the UK and beyond.