From 9th to 11th April, the future of European research on hydrogen will be discussed in Trieste as part of the 2025 edition of EPHyC (the European PhD Hydrogen Conference), which will be hosted at the Generali Convention Center and Warehouse 26 in the Old Port.

EPHyC will be organised by the University of Trieste in cooperation with Hydrogen Europe Research, Europe's leading hydrogen research organisation, which brings together over 150 international universities and research centres. The event will welcome PhD students from all over the European Union who are engaged in innovative projects related to clean fuel.

Over 150 young researchers from 85 academic institutions and research centres from 21 European countries will meet in Trieste for three days of scientific discussion. The initiative is part of the development of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV), a strategic project which aims to accelerate the energy transition and is promoted by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Slovenia and Croatia.

EPHyC 2025 stands out for its innovative format, in which PhD students themselves will organise and coordinate the scientific sessions, presenting their studies with the aim of receiving feedback, stimulating interdisciplinary collaborations and instigating new avenues of research.

The topics covered in the conference will discuss the main challenges in the field, from hydrogen production and storage to economic and regulatory aspects. Representatives of energy companies are also expected to attend, interested in both the conference content and the profiles of the participating young researchers.

The opening of EPHyC 2025 will be held on Wednesday, 9th April, at 9:00, in the Luttazzi Hall of Warehouse 26. Institutional greetings, the presentation of the partners involved and keynote lectures will be delivered by international experts such as Mirela Atanasiu, former Executive Director of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, the partnership involving the European Commission. At 10:30 in the sala dei Curatori curators' room of the Civic Maritime Museum there will be a presentation of the projects financed under the regional notice dedicated to the support, creation, and modernisation of research infrastructures in the renewable hydrogen sector, for which the Region will allocate EUR 11 million.

Within this framework, the University of Trieste is reaffirming its commitment to clean fuel research, an area in which it has been active with international working groups and European projects dedicated to the development of hydrogen technologies for over twenty years. Research activities, both theoretical and applied, take place in a multidisciplinary context, involving engineers, chemists, physicists, geologists and lawyers, in collaboration with public and private partners. With this in mind, UniTS was one of the first Italian universities to join the Hydrogen Europe Research network.

The commitment of the University of Trieste also extends to education in the field of energy transition. The Engineering for the Energy Transition master's degree course has been active since last year, is entirely in English, and aims at training professionals capable of managing the transition to clean and renewable energy in the civil and industrial sectors.

‘The organisation of EPHyC 2025,’ states Professor Rodolfo Taccani, the Deputy Rector for technology transfer and business relations, ’confirms the role of Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia and the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley as an international hub for research and innovation in the sustainable energy sector, thanks also to the contribution of the University of Trieste. The conference is not only an opportunity to learn more about research and technology, but also highly symbolic, as it brings together some of Europe's best young scientists engaged in research on energy transition and hydrogen. The University of Trieste, through EPHyC, contributes to outlining a common vision for the future of the European Union in the energy sector, in which theoretical and applied research play a fundamental role’.

‘EPHyC 2025 perfectly embodies the mission of Hydrogen Europe Research: to support and connect the European scientific community in order to accelerate innovation in the hydrogen sector. This event gives young researchers the opportunity to present their work, establish new collaborations and lay the foundations for the next generation of scientists and innovators. We are proud to support this initiative, which strengthens the link between academic research and industry, helping to build an increasingly strong and integrated European ecosystem,' states Luigi Crema, President of Hydrogen Europe Research.

The event is also being organised with the contribution of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the patronage of the Italian Thermotechnical Association - Friuli Venezia Giulia Section, the Maritime Technology Cluster FVG and Confindustria Friuli Venezia Giulia.

For further information: www.ephycconference.com