Consortium
The PEMPIRE consortium unites world‑leading industry and research expertise to advance PEM electrolysis technologies. Industrial partners such as Heraeus, Bekaert, IRD Fuel Cells A/S and Oort Energy work closely with leading research organisations, including Fraunhofer ISE and Université Marie et Louis Pasteur (UMLP). Communication, dissemination and exploitation activities are supported by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum (SEZ).
Fraunhofer ISE
Role
As coordinator of PEMPIRE, Fraunhofer ISE leads project coordination and management, ensuring effective collaboration and high‑quality implementation across the consortium.
In addition, Fraunhofer ISE acts as project lead for key technical and assessment work packages, focusing on MEA validation and long‑term testing, as well as sustainability, circularity and techno‑economic assessment of PEM electrolyser systems.
Expertise
Fraunhofer ISE is Europe’s largest applied research institute for solar energy and a leading research organisation in hydrogen technologies, with strong expertise in PEM electrolysis, system validation and sustainability assessment.
In project management, coordination is not just a component; it’s the key that ensures success. This will be vividly demonstrated in the Project Management part that contains consortium coordination and monitoring progress of the PEMPIRE Project.
A cornerstone of the overall strategy is the introduction of weekly partner meetings, which are invaluable for regular exchange of insights and feedback to promote a culture of open communication and efficient work processes.
One focus will be on continuous quality assurance and monitoring, ensuring that every aspect of our project meets the high standards we’ve set. Moreover, coordination plans to further strengthen the team dynamics through agile retrospective meetings. This will help to quickly identify and address any challenges, encouraging a creative problem-solving and enhancing collaboration within the vibrant PEMPIRE crew.
IRD Fuel Cells
Role
Within PEMPIRE, IRD supports the integration of advanced materials and the production of MEAs at different scales, helping to transfer innovative solutions from research into practical application.
Expertise
IRD Fuel Cells is devoted to the production of fuel cell and electrolyzer components both MEAs and BiPolar Plates (BPP). IRDs vision is to be acknowledged as the leading supplier of unlimited energy solutions of the future, by offering tailor-made strategic components with focus on lowering the total cost of energy. IRD Fuel Cells produce “State– of– the-art” 3–7 layer MEA and mold “In–shape” BPP.
Bekaert
Role
Bekaert contributes to PEMPIRE by developing porous transport layers (PTLs) used inside water electrolysers where water is converted into hydrogen using electricity.
These layers play an important role in transporting gases and liquids efficiently within the electrolyser cell.
Within the project, Bekaert focuses on advanced PTL coatings, combining reduced platinum content with non precious catalyst materials, supporting both performance improvements and lower costs.
Expertise
Bekaert is a global market and technology leader in material science of steel wire transformation and coating technologies. Their vision guides them beyond steel toward the energy transition. Over the past 20 years, Bekaert has been developing PTLs for electrolyzer cells in both PEM. High-quality PTLs that build trust by providing higher value and lower TCO. They also retain a high level of trust with their customers, all in various stages of development. And yet, Bekaert aims to do more, maintaining an active presence in the hydrogen market. By lowering dependencies on precious catalysts, addressing emerging markets and technologies, and creating the future of hydrogen through close, collaborative efforts.
Heraeus
Role
Within PEMPIRE, Heraeus brings in‑depth know‑how from its Precious Metals activities, contributing as a catalyst supplier for PEM water electrolysis. The project work focuses on developing advanced iridium‑based catalysts that combine high performance and durability with reduced use of critical raw materials.
Expertise
Heraeus Precious Metals is part of the Heraeus Group and covers the value chain from trading to precious metals products to recycling. Its Hydrogen Systems business provides a range of precious metal-based products for electrolysers and fuel cells, particularly electrocatalyst solutions for next-generation applications. It also supplies an array of technologies and the respective production capacities for the recovery of precious metals from production scrap and end-of-life materials, such as catalyst-coated membranes.
Oort Energy
Role
Oort Energy designs and manufactures high‑efficiency water electrolysers that turn electricity and water into green hydrogen. Their work covers both the electrolyser stack – the core unit where the hydrogen is actually produced – and the balance of plant (BoP), which includes all supporting systems needed to run the electrolyser safely and reliably.
Within PEMPIRE, Oort focuses on improving how these systems work together in real‑world operation. This includes adapting the electrolyser stack to new component developments and optimising supporting systems such as water purification and hydrogen drying, especially when operating conditions change dynamically.
Expertise
Oort Energy designs and manufactures high-efficiency Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser stacks and systems. Their advanced technology reduces the cost of hydrogen production while maintaining high performance and durability, making green hydrogen more accessible and commercially viable.
Université Marie et Louis Pasteur
Role
Within the PEMPIRE project, the Université Marie et Louis Pasteur contributes its expertise in degradation modelling for PEM water electrolysers. The work focuses on establishing data architectures for lifetime analysis, identifying critical health indicators of key electrolyser components, and modelling degradation pathways at both component and cell level. In addition, advanced protocols for accelerated experimental validation are developed to support robust lifetime prediction and performance assessment.
Expertise
The Université Marie et Louis Pasteur is a public French university based in Besançon, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. It brings together strong expertise in science, engineering, health and social sciences, supported by a broad network of research laboratories and long-standing collaboration with national and international research organisations. In the field of hydrogen and energy transition, the university develops interdisciplinary research activities spanning electrochemical energy conversion, hydrogen production and storage, and system integration. Its laboratories, such as FEMTO-ST institute involved in this project, are actively involved in the modelling, diagnostics, and optimization of electrolysis systems. Research also addresses hydrogen storage solutions, safety aspects, and the coupling of hydrogen technologies with renewable energy sources.
Steinbeis Europa Zentrum
Role
Within the PEMPIRE project, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum supports the strategic communication, dissemination and exploitation of project results. Its role includes co‑defining research and market needs together with the technical partners, mapping project results to potential applications, and supporting stakeholder engagement. In addition, the company contributes to the management of intellectual property rights, technology transfer activities, and the development of exploitation, replication and business model strategies to maximize project impact.
Expertise
Steinbeis Europa Zentrum has more than 30 years of innovation consulting experience with a focus on international markets and EU research funding. SEZ is also a partner in the Enterprise Europe Network of the European Commission.
SEZ empowers innovators to realise their potential and strategically connects researchers, entrepreneurs and public stakeholders, boosting previously untapped opportunities and nurturing co-creation.