HYCOURSE · European Summer School on Hydrogen Safety

Final Activity Report Summary - HYCOURSE (European Summer School on Hydrogen Safety)

The aim of the project was to create a possibility for young researchers and professionals working in the hydrogen economy to acquire latest expertise and learn about specific challenges in hydrogen safety matters by establishing a training course European Summer School on Hydrogen Safety (ESSHS). The project was coordinated by the University of Ulster leading educational activities within the International Association for Hydrogen Safety (IA HySafe). In the absence of hydrogen safety training programmes in 2006, the project was the first pan-European activity bringing together every year from 75 to 90 researchers from up to 31 countries. Leading experts from Europe, Canada, Japan, Russia, and United States (US) have contributed to the success of the project through lectures, round-table discussions, workshops and tutorials, hands-on computer software training, mock-up safety design sessions, etc. ESSHS stimulated contact building within the international hydrogen safety community, including engagement of junior researchers. The development of high quality teaching materials following and contributing to the international curriculum on hydrogen safety is one of the main outputs of the project. During four summer schools leading experts from all over the globe delivered the state-of-the-art keynote lectures to an audience of researchers with a total number of teaching materials 93 covering all nodal points of the HySafe activity matrix. During every summer school, each lasting for ten days, from 12 to 17 keynote speakers delivered lectures to 60 EC-funded delegates selected from about twofold number of applicants and self-funded delegates (in total 17 attended ESSHS). The first three ESSHS were held in Belfast (United Kingdom) and the fourth in Porticcio (France) with a total number of participants 327, of which 240 EC-funded delegates. The total number of disseminated materials is 198, including 105 presentations by delegates in the work-in-progress sessions, which went strength to strength and enhanced training through additional exchange of expertise, sharing research methods, acquiring complementary skills such as knowledge communication, etc. Materials on CD and in hard copies were made available to delegates at registration. The teaching materials of ESSHS underpinned educational programmes within the European e-academy of hydrogen safety, in particular the world's first postgraduate course in hydrogen safety, e.g. MSc in hydrogen safety engineering at the University of Ulster found at http://campusone.ulster.ac.uk/potential/postgraduate.php?ppid=24. This European project has established the largest training activity in hydrogen safety in the world, created a multi-disciplinary inter-sectorial pool of international experts to deliver joint training programmes, and ultimately has secured Europe's leading role in hydrogen safety education and shaping of a new safety culture. The creation of the unique network of experts has been fully exploited to establish an international short course and advanced research workshop series 'Progress in hydrogen safety', run since 2008 by the HySAFER centre at Ulster. ESSHS has strengthened the human potential in research and technological development in Europe: more than 50 % of 240 EC-funded delegates expressed their wish and many of them enter into a new profession of hydrogen safety engineering through enrolment into postgraduate and doctoral programmes.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union