Third star for the new research building

The next important step for the Helmholtz Cluster for Sustainable and Infrastructure-Compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H2) has been taken: It is now certain that the new research building planned for the Brainergy Park near Jülich by 2030 will receive funding. At its most recent meeting, the Supervisory Board of the Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier awarded the third star to the new research building project.

All projects in structural change in the Rhenish mining area must go through the three-stage qualification process if they are to receive funding in accordance with the Structural Strengthening Act. This means that Forschungszentrum Jülich, which forms the core of HC-H2 with its new Institute for Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW), can now submit funding applications for the new research building. Initial preliminary planning is expected to begin this year.

The new research building will be built by 2030 in Brainergy Park in the immediate vicinity of the current HC-H2 site on an area of almost 20,000 square meters.

The NRW Ministry of Culture and Science is funding this important sub-project with 90 million euros. Plans call for a campus with 400 workplaces in office buildings, technical center halls and laboratories. The campus is being built in accordance with the Brainergy Park guidelines using sustainable and innovative construction methods.

The new research building is of central importance for the INW and the HC-H2. Research on hydrogen infrastructure topics is to take place here on a permanent basis, and the resulting projects that take place throughout the Rhenish mining area are to be coordinated from here. Until the new research building is completed, there will be several more construction projects for the INW. In 2023, a technical center hall and laboratory modules will be completed, which will be built next to the current office containers in Brainergy Park. Even after that, INW's growth will necessitate additional construction.