The ambition to invest and scale drives real opportunities in the North Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem embracing NAHV, NACHIP and NASCHA
Zagreb, 16th April 2026
SMEs from the North Adriatic invited to apply for funding at the upcoming Open Calls and engage into the hydrogen value chain
Turning hydrogen ambitions into real projects, partnerships and funding opportunities was at the centre of the HE Access to Finance event held at ZICER in Zagreb on the 16th of April 2026.
Bringing together businesses, innovators, policymakers and financing experts at the Zagreb Innovation Centre (ZICER), the event focused on a key question for Europe’s green transition: how to move from promising ideas to bankable, scalable solutions within emerging hydrogen value chains.
At a time when energy security, industrial competitiveness and decarbonisation are increasingly interconnected, the event highlighted why participation in the North Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem is becoming strategically important. For companies and innovators, it represents direct access to funding, integration into cross-border value chains, and the opportunity to position themselves within one of Europe’s fastest-developing hydrogen regions.
Frane Šesnić, CEO of ZICER, has opened the event and welcomed participants by underlining the importance of connecting innovation with real business environments, noting that bringing together companies, investors and public stakeholders in one place is essential for turning ideas into concrete opportunities.
Setting the scene from a policy and funding perspective, Tomislav Pinter (European Commission, DG REGIO) focused on how innovation can move beyond early development stages. He emphasised that strong industrial value chains cannot be built in isolation and that interregional cooperation is essential. Presenting the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument, he highlighted its role in supporting companies, particularly SMEs, in scaling their solutions and bridging the gap between innovation and market deployment.
Aleksander Gerbec (ECUBES) placed hydrogen within the wider strategic context, stressing that Europe’s future competitiveness, security and sovereignty will depend on the energy decisions made today. He pointed out that the transition must avoid creating new dependencies, highlighting renewable hydrogen as a key element in strengthening resilience and supporting long-term industrial development.
The connection between strategy and implementation was further developed through the presentation of ecosystem initiatives.
Miha Pečovnik (NAHV, HSE,) presented the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) as the first transnational hydrogen valley in the European Union. He highlighted its role in building a complete hydrogen value chain across Slovenia, Croatia and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with a focus on real deployment in industry and transport.
Matija Pavlovčič, (NACHIP coordinator, Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI)), introduced the North Adriatic Clean Hydrogen Investment Platform (NACHIP), emphasising its role in developing a portfolio of investment-ready hydrogen technologies and connecting companies with pilot projects and industrial partners.
Fabrizia Salvi, (NASCHA coordinator, Area Science Park) presented how the NASCHA (North Adriatic Smart Communities Hydrogen Accelerator) supports SMEs in advancing towards investor readiness through pilot demonstrations and acceleration activities across Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.
How to get involved and qualify for SME funding: apply in September..!
A strong focus of the event was placed on immediate opportunities for SMEs.
Adelaide Moscatelli Giovannini (META Group), responsible for Open Calls implementation within NACHIP and NASCHA, presented upcoming funding opportunities that will allow companies to test, validate and integrate their solutions directly into pilot environments, accelerating their path to market. Participants are invited to apply at the upcoming NACHIP Open Call in September 2026. More information will be available on: nachip.eu
This focus on practical engagement continued through an interactive session, where participants actively reflected on their role in the hydrogen transition and the opportunities ahead. Hydrogen was widely recognised as a key enabling technology, particularly for energy storage, balancing renewable energy systems and decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, with strong emphasis on its role in long-term and seasonal storage, transport and sector coupling.
Participants also highlighted concrete opportunities for the region, including renewable energy expansion, industrial decarbonisation, mobility solutions and the development of integrated hydrogen value chains. At the same time, there was a clear recognition that the region has the potential to position itself as a hub for hydrogen development and utilisation.
Importantly, the discussions also reflected the challenges that still need to be addressed. High costs, regulatory complexity, limited grid capacity, storage constraints and the need for stronger investor involvement were among the most frequently raised barriers. Participants also pointed to the importance of better coordination between stakeholders, clearer regulatory frameworks and increased support for scaling solutions beyond pilot stages.
At the same time, there was a strong forward-looking perspective. Ideas such as replication of pilot projects, development of digital solutions, expansion of hydrogen use cases and stronger focus on education and skills development highlighted the growing maturity of the ecosystem and its ambition to move towards industrialisation.
Visit to a hydrogen innovation frontrunner: Patria Composite
This practical dimension continued in the afternoon with an inspiring visit to Patria Composite in Samobor. Marko Muhar, presented its activities, while Matija Matijevac highlighted developments in hydrogen storage and their role in future energy systems, offering participants a direct insight into real industrial applications.
HE Conference North Adriatic 2026 and “HE Access to Finance” stream
Next stops on the HE Access to Finance journey are planned in Cres (26th May), in Sezana and Trieste in he end of September and in Nova Gorica and Gorizia at the upcoming Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic Conference on the 10th – 12th November 2026. In this sense HE Access to Finance is a part of the dialogue promoted by the HE Conference North Adriatic, a EU flagship platform that is actively shaping and strengthening the North Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem by bringing together businesses, researchers, public authorities and investors around shared European ambitions. The 6th edition of the HE Conference will take place on 11th – 12th November 2026 in Nova Gorica and Gorizia. The main topic of the 6th edition is: Hydrogen for the Sovereignty of the EU.
The HE Conference was initiated in 2020 by ECUBES and ignited the development of the Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic supported by the three countries: Croatia, Italy – Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Slovenia. The HE Conference, today the main and engagement opportunity dissemination channel of the ecosystem initiatives together with HE Access to Finance stream, is organised by ECUBES, META Circularity and the partners of the Ecosystem initiatives.
Contact for more information and inquiries:
Darja Rogelj, META Circularity, darja.rogelj@meta-circularity.eu
Anita Tregner, META Circularity, anita-tregner@meta-circularity.eu
For more information visit also:
North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV): www.nahv.eu
North Adriatic Clean Hydrogen Investment Platform (NACHIP): www.nachip.eu
North Adriatic Smart Communities Hydrogen Accelerator (NASCHA): www.nascha.eu
HE Conference North Adriatic: www.hydrogen-ecosystem.eu