13.01.26, LONDON, Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for transport, the built environment, cities and local growth, announced today that five projects have been selected to demonstrate technologies as part of the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative (HII).

The HII Demonstration Programme seeks to strengthen the UK’s hydrogen technology sector by showcasing advancements in hydrogen production, storage and end-use. Innovate UK is supporting the foundational activity of the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative through its HII Seed programme. Connected Places Catapult is a dissemination partner for the demonstrations.

The 2025/26 Demonstration Programme is supporting the following organisations and their projects:

H2CHP – Developing hydrogen-fuelled combined heat and power solutions for efficient, low-carbon energy generation. This project is demonstrating its modular hydrogen-to-electricity linear generator behind the meter on the CEME campus microgrid in Rainham, East London, using hydrogen produced off-grid for the demonstration.

Latent Drive – Developing SeaStack - an electrolyser designed for harsh offshore and marine environments, producing hydrogen directly from seawater, moving production out to the source of renewable energy - even if far offshore. This demonstration centres on the testing of hybrid bipolar plates which solve a problem unique to seawater electrolysis - the formation of corrosive chlorine compounds. The demonstration will also extend to include hydrogen production from concentrated brines and wastewater.

Sky-Drones – Demonstrating hydrogen generation, storage and propulsion for unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Using a novel off-grid hydrogen generation technology from Tactical Edge Systems and onboard fuel cell propulsion, this project will demonstrate extended flight endurance for long-range missions in remote environments.

Unitrove – Advancing liquid hydrogen storage and distribution technologies with an integrated liquid-hydrogen-to-power demonstration supplying GeoPura’s latest Hydrogen Power Unit (HPU). Unitrove will also work with Steamology to explore how liquid hydrogen can power its high-efficiency steam turbines. This parallel effort will demonstrate the versatility of liquid hydrogen in delivering zero-emission energy pathways.

Vanguard Sustainable Transport Solutions – Demonstrating HydroShunter, the UK’s first hydrogen-powered railway shunter using a hydrogen fuel cell and battery traction power system. The demonstration will showcase the potential for zero-emission operations for challenging duty cycles in rail freight.

These demonstrations will provide insights into technology performance and system integration in real world test environments. By sharing the outcomes of these demonstrations, the initiative aims to de-risk adoption, drive business growth, and position the UK as a global leader in hydrogen technology solutions.

“Demonstrating novel technologies in the real world is fundamental to their adoption and scaling. By supporting hydrogen innovators to showcase new capabilities, we’re backing the growth of businesses here in the UK. We’re also positioning our homegrown pioneers to capitalise on the exciting opportunities presented by the global sustainable energy transition.”

Sameer Savani, Managing Director for Transport at Connected Places Catapult

The Hydrogen Innovation Initiative is led by High Value Manufacturing Catapult and delivered with partners from across industry, government and academia.