HySchool Days 2024 in Trondheim

On April 23rd, the Rockheim Museum resonated not with popular music but with the buzz of hydrogen expertise at HySchool Days 2024, the premier networking event hosted by HySchool – Norwegian Research School for Hydrogen and Hydrogen-Based Fuels.

Thirty invited speakers from academia, industry, and research institutions gathered in Trondheim for this two-day event, with venues split between the Rockheim Museum and Quality Prinsen Hotel.

With 140 participants, the event drew attendees from every facet of the hydrogen value chain, including visitors from Japan, the UK, Sweden, and Italy.

HySchool Days is a recurring event, with last year's launch taking place in Bergen. This year, NTNU organised the event in Trondheim, with Professor Nicola Paltrinieri at the at the helm:

- An event like HySchool Days is always enlightening for me, as it uncovers just how much I still must learn and research. I hope this edition was just as inspirational for the participants.

Connecting the Hydrogen Value Chain

HySchool Days serve as a nexus for PhD candidates, institutions, and disciplines within the hydrogen field, facilitating opportunities for learning, networking, and knowledge exchange. Nils Anders Røkke, Executive Vice President for Sustainability in SINTEF and director of FME HYDROGENi, highlighted the event's role in strengthening bonds between education, research, and innovation within the hydrogen sector:

- HySchool is excellent for gathering new talent in the field of hydrogen and exchanging ideas and results over time. The direct contact one gets with this group of PhD students is unique, contributing to relevance for the students and mobilizing increased collaboration between industry, research, and education.

He was joined by several of his colleagues, both on stage and in the networking area, including research scientist Marta Bucelli at SINTEF:

- I was very impressed! The doctoral candidates are given a unique opportunity to get to know each other across locations and universities in Norway, to meet the industry, and to learn about very actual and relevant challenges related to hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels. It is an incredible opportunity not to be missed.

Non-academic participants, including industry leaders like Equinor and Shell, contributed diverse perspectives to the discussions. Geir Thorson Solvi, a Senior Engineer in hydrogen production from Yara Clean Ammonia, praised the conference for its comprehensive overview of hydrogen research:

- I really enjoyed the conference and would really recommend it for students, researcher, and professionals working within the green hydrogen and ammonia chain. It gave a very good overview of the research.

HySchool Days 2024 also gathered attendees from various national and international hydrogen networks, such as HYDROGENi, HySET, and HyValue. The  knowledge exchange was enriched by a live podcast with Rob Stevens from TopSoe, hosted by Julius Wesche from NTNU Energy Transition. Stevens commented:

- HySchool's gathering of all future specialists on society, safety and technology shows that hydrogen and its derivatives have a bright future ahead.

An opportunity for PhD candidates

Several PhD candidates had the opportunity to present their research on stage, while others chose to showcase their work through digital posters. Alongside the main event, candidates participated in two internal activity days, engaging in informative discussions and networking opportunities. Two PhD candidates, Muhammad Baqir Hashmi from University of Stavanger and Raymond Mushabe from University of Bergen, shared their perspectives:

- During my presentation, I received profoundly interesting and constructive feedback on my research findings from the audience. The agenda was packed with insightful plenary talks from some of the brightest minds in the field, leaving me inspired and motivated to continue pushing boundaries in hydrogen technology, said Hashmi.

- One of the key aspects for HySchool Days every year is enhancing networking amongst students admitted to the research school. The coffee breaks and the well satisfying lunch and dinner table conversations amongst attendees can attest to that, said Mushabe.

- As a student board representative of the research school, I had an opportunity to chair the student forum together with Giulia Collina, Petar Bosnic, and Abhishek Banerjee. It was such a nice session where PhD students expressed both their satisfaction about how the research school has helped them, but also raised suggestions about where the school could do support them in their daily research activities.

HySchool Days 2025 in Porsgrunn

Next year, HySchool Days 2025 will be hosted in Porsgrunn on 1-2 April by USN.

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