Global Business Innovation Programme in Germany - Hydrogen

A GBIP has three stages:

Prepare for the market

Preparing for the market includes the cohort being briefed by sector and market experts on, for example, cultural aspects of conducting business in that country. Delegates receive help to find business partners and arrange meetings and are advised on best practice including the management and protection of their intellectual property.

Visiting the market

Visiting the market provides opportunities to attend pre-arranged meetings and activities in order to better understand and maximise the opportunities that the visit presents.

Exploiting the opportunity

Exploiting the opportunity is arguably the most important aspect of the programme. To maximise the opportunity, participating companies are given bespoke one-to-one support from an Innovate UK EDGE innovation and growth specialist to help develop and implement an action plan.

The Global Business Innovation Programme operates on a competitive basis and businesses selected are required to participate in all three stages (some or all of which may be online).

To participate in this GBIP your business must be an SME and established in the UK. An individual senior person from the business will be expected to participate in all aspects of the GBIP.

There has been a huge push to understand the role hydrogen can play in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors. As a result, many nations are investing heavily in the innovation and deployment of hydrogen technologies. Germany was quick to establish itself as a world leader in this space by developing a tangible and practical hydrogen strategy that has been supported with major public sector investment.

The UK has a long history of innovation in hydrogen technologies and our government is also working to incentivise hydrogen deployment. The purpose of this GBIP is to facilitate collaboration between UK and German organisations, as companies in both nations have developed promising solutions to support value chain development and integration.

The GBIP will also play a role in progressing the recent agreement made between Germany and the UK to further advance hydrogen developments, helping companies involved to identify ongoing business opportunities associated with this agreement.

The programme will include access to The Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe in Hamburg together with meeting local and leading hydrogen technology organisations.

Successful applicants will be able to:

• Explore innovation opportunities in Germany for Hydrogen, including participation in The Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe
• Get a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Germany
• Find potential innovation collaborators and partners and develop your network in the UK and globally
• Improve your company value proposition to international partners and investors
• Meet funding bodies from Germany and explore potential for funded innovation collaboration projects

Innovate UK will organise and fund flights, hotels, and in-country logistics for participants on the innovation visit to the country. On acceptance to the GBIP, a commitment fee of £1000 (excl. VAT) will be obtained from each successful company which will be returned after their involvement in the GBIP activity. Non-attendance of any part of the GBIP after formal acceptance may result in forfeiting some or all of the fee. You will be sent a link to pay your deposit in order to confirm your place once you have been formally accepted on the GBIP.

Register for the applicant briefing event on the 27th March here.

Closing date for applications: 1st May 2024

Pre-visit briefing: 12th-13th September 2024

Innovation visit: 20th-25th October 2024

Post-visit exploitation workshop: 6th December 2024