Frankfurt, 11–12 December 2025 – The DELYCIOUS project consortium gathered in Frankfurt for its latest plenary meeting, hosted by Air Liquide Forschung & Entwicklung (Air Liquide). The two-day event brought together all project partners for comprehensive updates on the progress of technical, validation, communication, and project administration activities. The meeting also featured a field visit to Air Liquide’s Innovation Campus Frankfurt, offering participants an inspiring view of the company’s research and technological facilities.

Advancing Laboratory-Scale Validation Activities

The consortium reported significant progress on laboratory-scale testing and validation activities. Under the coordination of the University of Twente (UT), work continued on the installation and commissioning of advanced diagnostic and monitoring tools for the alkaline (AEL), proton exchange membrane (PEMEL), and solid oxide (SOEL) electrolyser technologies.

New diagnostic capabilities, including Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Raman spectroscopy, have been successfully integrated at AEL test station at the facility of Stargate Hydrogen. HORIBA, the partner in charge of spectroscopic hardware development, visited Stargate Hydrogen to oversee the integration of the Raman device into the AEL lab-scale test rig. Integration and initial testing of the upgraded diagnostic equipment have begun, with early data collection and calibration of the Raman probe ongoing to support performance and durability assessments across all test benches. The testing schedule for the upcoming period has been planned, and efforts are focused on completing risk assessment for hardware integration.

Bridging Laboratory and Large-scale Validation

Air Liquide is playing a central role in linking laboratory research to industrial application. Air Liquide and the University of Twente jointly presented progress on a hybrid algorithm for degradation detection, developed to capture the complex interplay between efficiency, durability, and component ageing. By combining a physics-based plant model with data-driven statistical analysis, the approach enables accurate representation of degradation mechanisms and links directly to experimental laboratory data for ongoing validation.

These developments are central to building predictive and adaptive control strategies that will later be implemented through the software integration framework led by Dumarey. The integration of the algorithmic models with the project’s digital and control architecture will enable real-time interaction between diagnostic insights and operational management, ensuring that the tools developed can be effectively applied to large-scale electrolyser systems as the validation phase progresses.

Hardware Development and Lab-Scale Integration

HORIBA, in collaboration with other partners, has made steady progress on hardware integration activities. The team has advanced the practical integration plan by confirming required instrumentation updates where needed, completing core interface and timing assessments for the test setup, and progressing the Raman system integration. Safety and operational requirements have been reviewed to support secure deployment and controlled access, while the software driver and basic connectivity considerations are being addressed to enable reliable measurements and streamlined integration into existing test rigs.

Progress on Software Integration

The software development and control architecture activities, led by Dumarey, are progressing in parallel with the validation efforts. The Energy Management System (EMS) architecture design has been completed, and the preliminary software architecture has been defined. These developments form the foundation for the upcoming phase of system integration, enabling seamless communication and control between hardware and diagnostic components across the project. Ongoing coordination with Air Liquide and the University of Twente ensures that the software framework aligns with the degradation algorithms developed, paving the way for upcoming validation tests.

Field Visit to the Innovation Campus Frankfurt

As part of the meeting, partners stepped out of the boardroom and into the field with a visit to Air Liquide’s Innovation Campus Frankfurt. Partners were given an inspiring guided tour of the facilities that will play a key role in the implementation of DELYCIOUS, as well as those supporting other ongoing EU-funded initiatives. Highlights of the visit included a close-up look at the methanol piloting units used in the M2ARE project for maritime methanol production and a demonstration of the electrolysis test bench that will be employed within DELYCIOUS.

The visit provided a valuable opportunity for all partners to witness the tangible progress of the project, see the physical infrastructure, and discuss the next steps for optimizing and integrating the advanced diagnostic tools directly in the operational environment.

Project Coordination and Management

Under the coordination of Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES), project management activities continue to ensure effective collaboration and progress monitoring across all work streams. The first Advisory Board session was successfully held on 12 November 2025, providing strategic feedback on the project’s scientific and technological direction.

Fraunhofer IWES also continues to chair bimonthly teleconferences to track work package progress and address operational matters. The deliverable review process has been further reinforced to streamline internal collaboration and maintain high-quality standards. Overall, all work packages remain on track with their objectives and timelines.

On Communication and Dissemination

ETA Florence continues to monitor project progress to identify results and milestones suitable for public outreach, which will be consolidated in the next update of the Dissemination, Exploitation, and Communication Plan. The project’s official website is regularly updated as the main public hub for news and downloadable publications, complemented by an active LinkedIn page to engage stakeholders and strengthen visibility across research and industry communities.

Current efforts are focused on delivering the first DELYCIOUS dissemination webinar, “Advancing online diagnostics and building durable electrolysis systems for Europe’s hydrogen future,” jointly organised with the EU-funded project ELECTROLIFE. The interactive session will highlight advances supporting the reliability, efficiency, and sustainability of electrolyser technologies, featuring expert contributions from partners across research and industry. Date: Thursday, 29 January 2026, 15:00–16:45 CET | Format: Online. Registration Link: Please click here to register

Visit our website to get access to all publications, including deliverables where you can get a more detailed overview about the project’s technical progress.

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Acknowledgement and Disclaimer: 

The project is supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its members under the GA 101192075. Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The project will run until the end of 2027.