Within the network, the more than 20 member institutes pool their activities in the field of hydrogen technologies. The competencies thereby range from material and system development and production, through applications in the energy sector and industry, and on to interdisciplinary topics such as safety and life-cycle analyses.

The Fraunhofer IST thereby directs its focus onto material development and process digitization. One concrete example is the development of conductive corrosion protection for bipolar plates: Corrosion resistance and electrical properties can be improved through appropriate coatings and surface modifications. In collaboration with the Fraunhofer institutes IKTS and CSP, the Fraunhofer IST is currently conducting research into modules for photocatalytic water-splitting.