The Hydrogen Valley Facility is an initiative by the Clean Hydrogen JU to accelerate the development of Hydrogen Valleys across the European Union and within countries associated to Horizon Europe. Thereby, it supports Hydrogen Valleys and a broad range of stakeholders within the hydrogen context to advance their hydrogen projects and contributes to capacity building, knowledge sharing and skill development.

Hydrogen Valleys are hydrogen ecosystems that cover a specific geography ranging from local or regional focus (e.g. industrial cluster, ports, airports, etc.) to specific national or international regions (e.g. cross-border hydrogen corridor), thereby supplying with a common hydrogen supply infrastructure several sectors in their geography such as mobility, industry and energy end uses. Across their geographic scope, Hydrogen Valleys cover multiple steps in the hydrogen value chain, ranging from hydrogen production, storage of hydrogen and distribution to offtakers via various modes of transport. 

Hydrogen Valleys were conceptualised in 2018 by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. Since then, Hydrogen Valleys have become a key pillar of Europe’s emerging clean hydrogen sector with the Clean Hydrogen JU spearheading this initiative.
 

Please refer to the first question of Section II (Eligibility for Project Development Assistance) to check whether your H2 project fulfills the conditions of a Hydrogen Valley

Project Development Assistance (PDA) is a support offering by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership to accelerate the development of Hydrogen Valleys across the European Union, and within countries associated to Horizon Europe. PDAs provide tailored consulting services across four key dimensions to help Hydrogen Valleys advance toward Final Investment Decision (FID):

1. Commercial aspects (incl. renewable and derivatives production, transportation, offtake, business planning, commercial structuring as well as financing and funding)
2. Technical aspects (incl. process design, tech selection, site selection, cost estimates and risk management)
3. Regulatory aspects (incl. permitting, certifications and public acceptance strategy)
4. Valley governance aspects (incl. consortium building, stakeholder management, project governance and planning).

The six-week PDA light programme is aimed at supporting early-stage Hydrogen Valleys in advancing towards a compelling pre-feasibility project concept through structured consulting, gap analysis and standardised support packages. 

The twelve-week PDA plus programme is aimed at supporting more advanced Hydrogen Valleys that already have a concept study in place with modular, customised assistance to advance towards the feasiblity milestone, and a detailed roadmap to FID. 

The Project Development Assistance (PDA) will be conducted by the consulting firm Roland Berger, along with its specialised subcontractor Worley covering technical design aspects, supported by Inycom regarding the underlying IT infrastructure of the H2V Platform. These PDA Service Consultants have been mandated by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership to deliver the Project Development Assistance (PDA) services and to manage the application process.

The duration of the Project Development Assistance (PDA) depends on the programme track. The PDA light programme lasts six weeks, while the PDA plus programme provides support over 12 weeks.

The Project Development Assistance (awarded with this call) is planned to start by beginning of November 2025, following the evaluation and notification of successful applicants. For further details, please refer to the timeline outlined in the Call Specifications document.

There are no costs for your Hydrogen Valley project associated to the provision of the PDA services. However, any costs incurred for the preparation and submission of your application are to be borne by the applicant and will not be reimbursed. Additionally, you are expected to allocate internal resources to collaborate with the PDA Service Consultants during the assistance period, as outlined in the Model Declaration of Collaboration (Annex I).

Up to 15 Hydrogen Valley projects will receive PDA under this first call. The final distribution between PDA light and PDA plus will depend on the applications received.

No, the PDA programmes are designed to support Hydrogen Valleys that are still under development and aiming to reach Final Investment Decision (FID). Projects that have already reached FID are not eligible.

No, the PDA programmes are designed to support Hydrogen Valleys that are still under development and aiming to reach Final Investment Decision (FID). Operational projects are not eligible.

Applications must be submitted by an authorised representatives of a legal entity that is the lead developer of the respective Hydrogen Valley, i.e., the primary company or organisation officially responsible for the overall project development of the Hydrogen Valley. 

The persons signing the documents that require signature need to be acting as a authorised representative of the lead developer organisation.

The lead developer may list as part of the application other companies and organisations that are (consortium or supporting) partners of the respective Hydrogen Valley. Such other companies or organisations are not entitled to submit the application for Project Development Assistance. These companies or organisations are encouraged to declare their commitment to participate and contribute in the Project Development Assistance delivery via signing the Letter of Commitment (Annex IV) to be submitted by the lead developer as part of the application.

To submit an application for Project Development Assistance (PDA) under the Hydrogen Valleys Facility, an authorised representative of the lead developer of the Hydrogen Valley must register on the PDA Applicant’s Area. After registration, the required information can be inserted in the application interface and the required documents can be uploaded. 

Applications must include all required documents as specified in the call for applications. 

Applicants can choose between the PDA light or PDA plus tracks based on their hydrogen project's maturity and must ensure compliance with eligibility criteria.
 

No. The application is only possible via the PDA application portal.

All application documents need to be handed in in English.

No.
 

No. Per Hydrogen Valley, one PDA programme needs to be selected.

If your Hydrogen Valley has completed a concept study (Front-end Loading study 1 or equivalent) for at least 70% of the overall CAPEX of the Hydrogen Valley and has a commercial date of operations for 70% of the Hydogen Valley within within a maximum of 42 months (3.5 years) from the application submission deadline (September 19 2025), it may be submitted under the PDA plus programme. 

All other projects may apply for PDA light.

The application consists in basic information about the Hydrogen Valley project to be inserted within the PDA application interface and documents to be uploaded. 

The required documents to be uploaded are specified in the Call Specifications document (chapter 2.2 Application documents).

To apply as a consortium, your Hydrogen Valley must designate a lead developer entity to submit the application on behalf of all partners. Other project partners may sign a Letter of Commitment (Annex IV) to confirm their participation and support.

Yes, you can save your application and resume at a later point in time by logging into the PDA application area with the login details received upon registration.

Any confidential information submitted as part of the application process will be treated with strict confidentiality by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its PDA Service Consultants. It will only be used for evaluating the application, and delivering the PDA services in case of a successful application and PDA award. 

Please refer to the Call Specifications document (chapter 5 Protection of personal data and confidentiality) for more information.

If you are unsure whether the concept study is a FEL 1 (Front-end loading 1) study or equivalent, it is recommended to apply for PDA plus and submit the study for evaluation. 

A concept study should include scoping and conceptual plant design (covering inputs, processes, and outputs), a description of the supply chain (including in- and outflows), a permitting plan, high-level construction planning, information on operations, maintenance, and risk management, and a Class 5 cost estimate. 

Applying for PDA plus ensures your project is considered for the highest level of support available.
 

Yes, via the e-mail you indicated during the registration for your application. 
 

If you have questions about the application process, you can submit them via the contact email address. Answers to all questions will be published publicly as part of this FAQ section.

 

The deadline for submission of the application is September 19 2025 at 23:59 CET.

 

Applications submitted after the deadline of September 19, 2025, at 23:59 CET will not be considered. You will need to wait for the next Call for Applications.