Connected Places Catapult has announced the five projects selected for the 2025/26 Hydrogen Innovation Initiative (HII) Demonstration Programme, marking another step in strengthening the UK’s hydrogen technology ecosystem.
As the UK’s innovation accelerator for transport, the built environment, cities and local growth, Connected Places Catapult is supporting the programme as a dissemination partner, helping ensure lessons from real-world demonstrations are shared widely across industry. The initiative itself is led by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, with Innovate UK supporting the underpinning activity through its HII Seed programme.
The Demonstration Programme is designed to showcase advances in hydrogen production, storage and end-use, providing practical evidence of how emerging technologies perform in operational settings. By doing so, it aims to reduce barriers to adoption, support commercial growth and reinforce the UK’s position as a global leader in hydrogen innovation.
The five projects selected span a broad range of applications, from rail freight and offshore energy to drones and microgrids.
H2CHP will demonstrate a modular hydrogen-fuelled combined heat and power system, using a linear generator to convert hydrogen into electricity. The system will operate behind the meter on the CEME campus microgrid in Rainham, East London, using off-grid hydrogen production to show how low-carbon energy can be generated efficiently at local level.
Latent Drive is focusing on hydrogen production in challenging environments through its SeaStack electrolyser. Designed for offshore and marine use, the system produces hydrogen directly from seawater. The demonstration will test hybrid bipolar plates that address corrosion issues caused by chlorine compounds, and will also explore hydrogen generation from concentrated brines and wastewater.
Sky-Drones will demonstrate hydrogen generation, storage and propulsion for unmanned aerial systems. Combining off-grid hydrogen production from Tactical Edge Systems with onboard fuel cell propulsion, the project aims to show how hydrogen can significantly extend flight endurance for long-range missions in remote locations.
Unitrove is advancing liquid hydrogen storage and distribution, with a demonstration supplying GeoPura’s latest Hydrogen Power Unit. Alongside this, Unitrove will work with Steamology to explore the use of liquid hydrogen in high-efficiency steam turbines, highlighting the flexibility of liquid hydrogen as a zero-emission energy source.
Vanguard Sustainable Transport Solutions will showcase HydroShunter, described as the UK’s first hydrogen-powered railway shunter. Using a hydrogen fuel cell and battery traction system, the demonstration will focus on the potential for zero-emission operations in demanding rail freight duty cycles.
Together, the demonstrations will generate valuable insights into system integration and performance in real-world environments, helping to inform future deployment decisions across multiple sectors.
Sameer Savani, Managing Director for Transport at Connected Places Catapult, said the programme is about turning innovation into practical reality.
“Demonstrating novel technologies in the real world is fundamental to their adoption and scaling,” he said. “By supporting hydrogen innovators to showcase new capabilities, we’re backing the growth of UK businesses and positioning our homegrown pioneers to take advantage of the global transition to sustainable energy.”
The Hydrogen Innovation Initiative brings together partners from industry, government and academia, reflecting a collaborative approach to accelerating hydrogen technologies from concept to deployment.
