Having worked together through their respective research institutions – the University of Freiburg and Hahn-Schickard for ionysis, and the Slovenian National Institute of Chemistry for ReCatalyst, for three years, the companies will now develop cost-effective fuel cells for heavy-duty applications.

The “Enabler” project looks to combine the technologies of the two start-ups with the aim of making fuel cells for heavy-duty applications more cost-effective, environmentally friendly and improve performance.

ReCatalyst has developed technology to produce novel platinum alloy-based catalysts for its membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), which are based on new, fluorine-free materials.

Under the project, the companies hope to develop and validate the MEAs, which ReCatalyst say exceed current state-of-the-art performance and durability targets, by putting them in real-world applications.

Dr. Matthias Breitwieser, Chief Technology Officer of ionysis, commented, “The collaboration, which in the past was nurtured solely by enthusiasm for each other’s research and a shared ambition to drive decarbonisation through better, greener and more cost-effective hydrogen technologies, will now be solidified and put on a secure financial footing.”

“The scope, content and timing of the funding fit perfectly with the development paths of our young companies. We can now expand our joint development activities and hope to significantly shorten the time to market for our technologies,” added, Dr. Matija Gatalo, Managing Director of ReCatalyst.

The EIC is an innovation programme to identify, develop and scale up breakthrough technologies and game-changing innovations. In addition to financial aid, the EIC Transition funds support both the maturation and validation of novel technologies.

“This two-pronged set-up of EIC Transition gives us a tremendous push as early-stage start-ups,” said Lisa Langer, Chief Financial Officer at ionysis. “It recognises the fact that not only do we need to bring our technological innovations to market readiness, but we also need to be ready to successfully commercialise them.”

Tomaž Bizjak, CEO of ReCatalyst, added, “The EIC Transition project enables us to form a long-lasting partnership along the very demanding value chain, while once again confirming that European Union is investing well to counter economical and societal challenges of the next decade and beyond.”