10 Years of SAXONY's HZwo Hydrogen Technology Cluster

Saxony’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Dirk Panter: “HZwo has proven that a vision can become an industrial success story. What began as a research project for components is now a driving force behind Saxony’s structural transformation. HZwo bridges the gap between industry and science, thereby playing a key role in ensuring that Saxony is well-positioned in the global race to establish the hydrogen economy.”

The journey began with the “HZwo BIP” project, a dedicated InnoTeam supported by Saxony’s ESF technology funding. The goal was ambitious from the start: it was not just about researching individual components, but about building value chains directly in Saxony. This approach has paid off. The InnoTeam quickly evolved into a network—and it has grown rapidly: from seven members in 2017 to over 170 members today.

HZwo e. V. is no longer limited to Saxony. The association has evolved from a regional network into a recognized European cluster. With experts from France, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, and the Czech Republic, as well as partners from Australia, India, and North America, HZwo combines global knowledge with local implementation capabilities.

A central pillar of this development is the Hydrogen Innovation Center (HIC) in Chemnitz, which plays a key role as a national innovation and technology center for hydrogen. With funding of approximately 84.4 million euros from the federal government and the Free State of Saxony, the HIC will provide a hydrogen infrastructure for laboratories and testing services that is unique in Europe by 2030.

In addition, the European Commission and the Free State of Saxony are providing funding of approximately 28 million euros for 20 research and development projects as grants under Saxony’s ERDF technology funding program.

In addition to the HIC, other strategic pillars shape the association’s profile: the Saxon Hydrogen Competence Center (KH2), the “Hydrogen State Saxony” innovation cluster, and the national transformation hub “cH2ance.”

• About HZwo e. V.

HZwo e. V. is an innovation cluster for hydrogen technologies based in Chemnitz. The association connects companies, research institutions, policymakers, and society to advance the development and application of hydrogen technologies and establish new value chains.

• Background: Saxony’s Technology Funding

For many years, Saxony has supported companies in the Free State with technology funding open to all technologies and industries, assisting them in the research and development of new, innovative products and processes, in technology transfer within companies, and in building human resources capacity, providing a total of approximately 700 million euros for this purpose. During the 2021–2027 funding period, Saxony is supplementing the application process with calls for proposals focused on specific thematic or regional priorities.

Through project funding for research and development (R&D), Saxon companies receive support for innovative, technology-oriented R&D projects aimed at developing new or improved products and processes. In R&D consortium projects, cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Saxony and other companies, research institutions, or universities in the Free State of Saxony is supported.

Through the InnoTeam funding module of the ESF Plus 2021–2027 STEM Workforce Program, Saxon SMEs are supported in establishing joint competence teams with Saxon universities and research institutions. This allows companies to benefit directly from scientific expertise, establish long-term partnerships, and strengthen their innovative capacity.

Those interested can find further information on the support options offered by Saxony’s technology funding program on the website of the SAB – Sächsische Aufbaubank.