New funding guideline supports international hydrogen projects

03.12.2025

Source: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

The German government has presented a revised funding guideline for international hydrogen projects that supports German companies in setting up production facilities for renewable hydrogen and its derivatives outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

The amended guideline was published by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and builds on the successful previous guideline from 2021.

Goal: to establish a global hydrogen market more quickly

With the revision, the German government is responding to the dynamic developments in the international hydrogen markets. The new funding guideline is intended to support the rapid expansion of a global market for renewable hydrogen, promote the use of German technologies and prepare import routes to Germany at an early stage.

Industrial production plants, accompanying scientific studies and research work along the entire hydrogen value chain are eligible for funding. The directive thus takes into account both the updated National Hydrogen Strategy (2023) and the hydrogen import strategy of 2024.

Two modules for investment and research

Module 1 (BMWE):

• Promotion of production plants for green hydrogen and derivatives
• Support for preparatory and accompanying scientific analyses, e.g. feasibility studies
• Storage and transport infrastructures are no longer a separate funding priority, but only a component of generation projects

Module 2 (BMFTR):

• Funding for basic research, industrial research, studies and training measures
• Research support along the entire value chain: generation, storage, transportation and systemic issues
• Only eligible for funding in conjunction with a Module 1 project

Submission deadline and general conditions

Companies can submit project outlines for investment funding until December 18, 2025.
The guideline runs until December 31, 2028.
The provision of financial resources is subject to the adoption of the budget for 2026.

Project Management Jülich (PtJ) is responsible for administrative processing.

Significance for the German hydrogen strategy

The directive is a central building block for the implementation of Germany's hydrogen ambitions. It is intended to accelerate the international market ramp-up and establish a reliable import base for Germany. This will give companies, technology providers and research institutions access to new opportunities for cooperation and global growth markets.