NL-BR Hydrogen Innovation Mission: Strengthening Ties and Advancing the Hydrogen Transition

From October 7-11, 2024, Dr. Eric Cezne, Postdoctoral Researcher at Utrecht University, had the honor of representing Utrecht University at the Dutch Hydrogen Innovation Mission to Brazil. Organized by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency and the Netherlands Innovation Attaché Network Brazil, the mission aimed to foster collaboration between Dutch and Brazilian companies and research institutes in the hydrogen sector.

Dr. Cezne traveled to São Paulo, Campinas, and Fortaleza, where he engaged with a diverse delegation of entrepreneurs, government representatives, legal experts, and scientists focused on the hydrogen transition. Highlights included presenting at the Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo (FIESP) on the importance of integrating social sciences and humanities in hydrogen research. He also moderated a panel on the role of human capital in the hydrogen transition and shared insights from Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences with scholars at Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC).

Brazil, with its abundant renewable resources, stands as one of the most promising markets for low-carbon hydrogen production, and the mission highlighted its growing role in the global hydrogen landscape. Dr. Cezne emphasized the need for a just, fair, and democratic hydrogen transition, ensuring social and environmental concerns are at the forefront of future developments.