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When the Growth Fund proposal GroenvermogenNL was granted, EIRES wanted to stimulate interdisciplinary research on hydrogen for energy storage or electrification to prepare for the projects that would make up this large-scale program. To this end, the institute and industrial partners jointly invested €1.8 million in research into the development of various materials, components, systems and dynamic models in relation to chemistry and chemical engineering for energy systems.

‘The idea was to bring together researchers from different groups and departments by funding small seed projects,’ explains Martin van Sint Annaland, Full Professor of Chemical Process Intensification in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. ‘That worked out rather well. For example, I myself came into contact with Dongsheng Yang from the Department of Electrical Engineering, whom I had not known before.’ The chemist and electrical engineer joined forces in a Future Chemistry project that employed two postdocs, one from each department. Together, they developed a flexible electrically heated reactor that adapts to the available amount of green electricity to produce syngas from carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

Stepping stone
‘Though this was a rather small-scale, one-year project, it really helped us gain an understanding of each other’s fields of work,’ Van Sint Annaland states. ‘In fact, as a result of this collaboration, we now have secured some new joint projects within the GroenvermogenNL scheme. And for me personally, this project has made me more familiar with the topic of electrification, and enhanced my visibility in this field. As a result, I am now for example leading one of the tasks in the HyCARB GroenvermogenNL project, in which I also brought Dongsheng along.’

As far as Niels Deen, Chair of the Power & Flow group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is concerned, this collaboration between electrical and chemical engineers is the perfect example of what Future Chemistry intends to do. ‘Within EIRES, we have a great deal of expertise spread across different departments; we need to combine that to enhance our impact, both on science and society. Without an organization that physically brings people together in the same space, you simply don’t run into each other and don’t know about the work others do and how that could complement yours.’

Programs like Future Chemistry that provide seed money to promote collaboration can act as a springboard for people who want to connect with others from outside their daily bubble, agrees Van Sint Annaland. ‘New collaborations often arise by chance – you run into someone and discover interesting common ground. It helps tremendously if you can explore such an idea and gain some funding to start building a portfolio that you can use to join larger initiatives. Especially for younger researchers, these types of low-barrier programs are essential to explore new directions and build relevant networks.’

Broadening scope
Now that the first projects within the program are reaching completion, the time has come to look ahead. That is the primary role of the Scientific Advisory Board, says Deen. ‘First, it would be good to capitalize on the investments we’ve made so far. That means, for example, that we need to challenge the principal investigators who received funding from the program to think about the next step. Can they, for instance, submit joint follow-up proposals in existing funding schemes? Second, where initially, the Future Chemistry program focused on hydrogen and process technology, we should consider broadening our scope to also include topics like decarbonization, reducing the use of rare materials, or preventing unwanted emissions.’

Van Sint Annaland fully agrees. ‘The program is about what is needed to make the transition toward a more sustainable, green chemical industry. This includes topics like electric heating, electrochemical conversions, circular processes, the use of alternative raw materials, recycling, critical materials recovery, and metal power as an energy carrier.’

In addition, there should also be more room for other scientific disciplines to join, he thinks. ‘I see ample opportunities we’re currently underutilizing. For example, we should also include industrial engineering and policy-related topics. There are so many relevant questions that aren’t answered yet. How will variable energy pricing influence the requirements on the chemical processes? What needs to change in terms of policy for the chemical industry to actually make the shift?

Niels Deen: As a Scientific Advisory Board and as EIRES as a whole, we want to encourage people to actively contribute ideas for us to draw up long-term research roadmaps.

Serving different needs
All in all, both scientists see a lot of added value in these types of bottom-up, interdisciplinary funding programs. Deen: ‘Such initiatives help us researchers to see more of what others do and are capable of. If I now get a question about gas transport in electrodes, I still am not an expert about the topic myself, but I do know that here on campus, Toni Forner-Cuenca is the person to talk to. By getting better acquainted with each other and each other’s work, we can better serve the outside world, and at the same time inspire our own research and expand our own networks.’

Van Sint Annaland adds: ‘When we know each other, it’s easier to respond quickly to sudden opportunities. For example, when some new interdisciplinary call opens, it helps a lot if you know who to turn to straight away.’ The same thing goes for building consortia with industry, he says. ‘EIRES, the Innovation Lab, and the project coordinators at the departments can approach companies and take stock of who would be interested in what. Currently, there are too many points of contact for companies who want to collaborate with us, and there is too much internal competition for acquiring additional funding from industry. It would be helpful if we could provide more direction. That is why we want to try and set up and Industrial Advisory Board that can help us determine which topics should be prioritized in future projects.’

Deen concludes with a call to action: ‘As a Scientific Advisory Board and as EIRES as a whole, we want to encourage people to actively contribute ideas for us to draw up long-term research roadmaps. Even with limited financial resources, we can deliver substantial impact as long as we keep inspiring each other.’