Joint Korea-Germany Hydrogen Technology Conference Held... "Strengthening Bilateral R&D Cooperation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Su-yeon Woo] South Korea and Germany are expanding research and development (R&D) cooperation in the hydrogen sector to revitalize the hydrogen economy.

The Hydrogen Convergence Alliance Promotion Group (hereinafter H2KOREA) held the '2020 Korea-Germany Hydrogen Technology Conference' on the 12th at the Novotel Ambassador Seoul Gangnam Hotel.

This conference was the first technical seminar held since South Korea and Germany announced their hydrogen roadmaps. It was organized for government officials and industry, academia, and research representatives from both countries to discuss R&D cooperation plans across the entire hydrogen economy industry cycle. The event was co-hosted by the European research institute Fraunhofer, the National Research Council of Science & Technology, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Korea, and the Korea-Germany Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The event was originally planned as a large-scale international event but was conducted with both on-site seminars and online live streaming to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). About 300 participants attended on-site and online, including Ju Young-jun, Director General of the Energy Resources Office at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Torsten Herdan, Director General of the Energy Policy Office at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; Moon Jae-do, Chairman of H2KOREA; Ralph Berschpon, Vice President of Fraunhofer; Park Byung-kwan, Head of Fraunhofer Korea Office; and Susanne Woelle, Deputy Director of the Korea-Germany Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Ju Young-jun, Director General of the Energy Resources Office at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "Hydrogen energy is emerging amid the global trend of decarbonization, and since the commercialization of green hydrogen is important, the government will actively support it." Torsten Herdan, Director General of the Energy Policy Office at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, responded, "Hydrogen holds a very important position in the energy cooperation between the two countries."

Additionally, at the event, H2KOREA and Fraunhofer signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance hydrogen industry technology capabilities between the two countries. The two organizations agreed to cooperate on ▲holding regular meetings for Korea-Germany hydrogen technology development ▲hosting Korea-Germany hydrogen technology conferences ▲supporting Korea-Germany hydrogen R&D activities.

Moon Jae-do, Chairman of H2KOREA, emphasized, "The holding of today's conference and the signing of the MOU have great significance in that the two countries have formed a consensus for the government and companies to collaborate on hydrogen, a future energy industry." He added, "This MOU will serve as a stepping stone to promote technological advancement through joint R&D and technology exchange among industry, academia, and research institutes for the growth of hydrogen energy in both countries."

Meanwhile, a survey was conducted among attendees at this conference, and the results showed that hydrogen experts from both countries most needed 'information exchange' cooperation models such as hydrogen technology conferences and expert technical workshops. Next in demand were joint R&D projects supported by both governments and securing continuous cooperation channels between the two countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.