Join us for the fifth edition of the international Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic Conference, taking place on 12th and 13th November 2025 in Nova Gorica and Gorizia.
This year’s programme places a strong emphasis on hydrogen valleys across Europe, showcasing successful models, challenges, and opportunities for cooperation. In addition, the event will highlight the role of municipalities in shaping hydrogen ecosystems and open space for intergenerational dialogue, ensuring the voices of both emerging talents and experienced leaders contribute to shaping future policies and innovations.
The two-day program will feature keynote speeches, expert panels, project showcases, and networking opportunities—bringing together policy-makers, researchers, industry leaders, and young innovators.
What to Expect
- A meeting point of key decision makers of the Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic, bringing together industries, policy makers, and all initiatives deriving from the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV).
- The Hydrogen Ecosystem Listing of leading hydrogen innovators has been launched—top-ranked initiatives will be invited to pitch live at the conference.
- We’re continuing our intergenerational dialogue, giving young leaders a central role in shaping conversations on technological and societal innovation.
- The 5th Conference coincides with COP30 in Belém, Brazil, creating a timely platform for international dialogue on urgent climate action.
- The event will conclude with a high-level HE Summit, featuring key representatives from Slovenia, Croatia, and Friuli Venezia Giulia, reinforcing regional cooperation at the highest level.
Day 1 - 12th November 2025
| 09:00 | Registration and welcome coffee | |
09:30
| Opening of the conference
| Jurij Giacomelli, Founder, Managing Director, META Circularity |
| Introductions Hydrogen Ecosystem economic cooperation in the EU | Bojan Kumer, Minister of Environment, Climate and Energy of Slovenia | |
10:10
| Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic: Affordable Green Energy on Demand repowering EU and connecting nations | Aleksander Gerbec, Founder and Managing Director, ECUBES, Initiator of the HE Conference |
| EU Hydrogen Market and State of the Art of the EU Hydrogen Strategy | ||
| 10:25 | Evolution of the EU Hydrogen Market and State of the Art of the EU Hydrogen Strategy | Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Executive Director, Hydrogen Europe (tbc) |
| 10:40 | The Evolution of the hydrogen economy and its frontiers | Luigi Crema, President, Hydrogen Europe Research (TBC) |
| 11:00 | Investment instruments aiming inducing a new growth from within | Giuseppe Casella, HoD, Innovation Ecosystems, SMEs, Entrepreneurship & Consumers, ESIMEA (TBC) |
| 11:15 | Q&A | |
| 11:30 | Coffee Break | |
| EU Hydrogen Valleys, regulatory issues and best practices | ||
| 11:50 | Overview of the hydrogen regulatory framework in the EU and the Ecosystem North Adriatic: progress, critical issues and opportunities | Rodolfo Taccani, University of Trieste Massimiliano Rudella, Area Science Park, Trieste |
| Standardisation and the evolution of the hydrogen market | Patricija Doplihar, Slovenian Institute for Standardisation (SIST) | |
| 12:15 | EU Hydrogen Valleys rising: Frontrunners, first outcomes, barriers and experience shared | Coordinators of hydrogen valleys across the EU |
| 13:20 | Q&A with all participants of the session | |
| 13:30 | Lunch | |
| Intergenerational dialogue: The potential of the hydrogen economy to redesign geopolitics and increase international cooperation | ||
| 14:30 | Seeing the challenges of the present from the eyes of the future leaders | |
| 14:45 | Tripple planetary crisis, historical turning points and hydrogen | Janez Potočnik, Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel of the UN, former EU Commissioner for the Environment |
| 15:05 | Clean hydrogen as a vector of renewable energy sources connecting climate action to international cooperation | |
Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic as a road to competitiveness for the Slovenian economy | Matevž Frangež, State Secretary, Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport, Slovenia | |
| 15:15 | Topic 1 | Maria Chiara Billi, Dima Guertcheva, United World College Adriatic, Duino and Students at the United World College Adriatic, Duino & H2STUDENT endorsed by IRENA |
| 15:35 | Topic 2 | Polona Domadenik Muren, programme director of IMB, School of Economics and Business, and students, University of Ljubljana |
| Q&A | ||
| 16:00 | Coffee Break | |
| 16:15 | Topic 3 | Federico Del Mondo and students from the University of Trieste |
| 16:35 | Topic 4 | Hrvoje Marušić and students from the University of Rijeka |
| Q&A | ||
| 17:00 | Shaping of the Hydrogen Ecosystem: Challenges and opportunities | Students and mentors: |
| 18:00 | Conclusions and wrap-up, Day 1 | |
| 18:15 | Aperitivo | Hotel Perla |
| 19:30 | Informal dinner | |
Day 2 - 13th November 2025
| 8:30 | Registration and morning coffee | |
| Opening of the second day of the 5th HE Conference | ||
| 9:30 | Opening of the second day | Moderators |
| 9:40 | Institutional address | Samo Turel, Mayor, City of Nova Gorica Rodolfo Ziberna, Mayor of Gorizia |
| From a hydrogen ecosystem towards a hydrogen economy | ||
| 9:50 | The Hydrogen Ecosystem Report: Hydrogen in the global marketplace and the North Adriatic Q&A | Stephen Taylor, Strategic Coordinator, NAHV JWG |
| 10.15 | Interconnecting emerging Hydrogen Ecosystems (Panel 1) | Jerneja Sedlar, Head Development and Investment Dpt., HSE and Coordinator, NAHV Matjaz Logar, IJS, Coordinator, NACHIP Alberto Soraci, AREA Science Park, Coordinator, NASCHA Aleksander Gerbec, ECUBES Representatives of hydrogen valleys |
| 11:15 | Coffee Break | |
| Attractiveness of hydrogen technologies in the eyes of investors | ||
| 11:30 | Financing progress of the hydrogen economy | Simon Savšek, Head of EIB Group Office, Ljubljana |
| Investors readiness for hydrogen | Gilles Le Cougen, Director, Head of EuroQuity at Bpifrance (TBC) Luigi Amati, Business Angels Europe (BAE) and Italian Business Angels Networks (IBAN) (TBC) Nejc Novak, founder, NLaw (TBC) | |
| Early experience shared | Marc Rechter, Founder, CEO, Resilient Group Werner Groenendijk, CFO, ECUBES | |
| Deployment of hydrogen Innovation: Large movers and first movers in action | ||
| 13:40 | Session I: Large movers | Mario Perič, Product and Solution Manager for New Energy Technologies, Končar (TBC) Uroš Salobir, Director, Strategic Innovation Department, ELES Anna Mareschi Danieli, Board Member, Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SpA (TBC) Viktor Vračar, Management Adviser Energy, SIJ (TBC) |
| 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 14:30 | Hydrogen offtake: A global perspective | |
| 15:00 | Session II: First movers, a portfolio overview of NAHV, NACHIP and NASCHA | |
| Presentations of selected pilot projects from the ongoing Horizon Europe and I3 initiatives and guest cases | ||
16:00 Hydrogen Ecosystem Summit Sharing the vision, deepening business engagement, strengthening institutional support | ||
| 16:10 | Coffee Break | |
| 16:30 | Industrial New Deal, EU Hydrogen Strategy, and Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic Keynote speech | Representative of the European Commission (TBC) |
| 16:45 | Hydrogen economy and global security and cooperation | |
| 17:30 | Leaders Roundtable | |
| 17:50 | Conclusions | Juri Giacomelli Aleksander Gerbec |
| 18.00 | Aperitivo | |
| 19:00 | End of programme | |
The conference will take place in Nova Gorica (Hotel Perla) and Gorizia, symbolically connecting the cross-border region at the heart of the North Adriatic.
To book the room visit their website below.
Hotel Perla Resort & Entertainment
Website: https://perla-novagorica.com/en/hotel/
Address: Kidričeva ulica 7, 5000 Nova Gorica