New Delhi: The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, strengthened India–Netherlands scientific cooperation in clean energy with the launch of the India Netherlands Hydrogen Fellowship.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University of Groningen, Netherlands, and 19 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has also been signed to establish an academic cooperation framework in green energy and hydrogen research.
The India Netherlands Hydrogen Fellowship Programme – for which the Scheme Guidelines and Call for Proposals (CFP) were released today – is a national capacity-building initiative open to eligible Indian doctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty applicants across institutions.
The fellowship programme was launched by Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof Abhay Karandikar, in the presence of Huib Mijnarends, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India.
While launching the programme, Prof Karandikar said that focused international collaboration and targeted capacity-building initiatives are critical for advancing hydrogen technologies from research to deployment, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors aligned with India’s clean energy transition goals.
Huib Mijnarends emphasised the alignment of Indo-Dutch cooperation in hydrogen and energy transition. Prof Dr Jouke de Vries, President, University of Groningen, underlined the role of sustained academic partnerships in addressing global energy challenges.
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India Netherlands Hydrogen Fellowship to Build Capacity in Hydrogen Technologies
The India Netherlands Hydrogen Fellowship Programme aims to strengthen India’s deployment readiness in hydrogen technologies through structured exposure to advanced hydrogen ecosystems in the Netherlands, with emphasis on system integration, safety, techno-economic analysis, life-cycle assessment, and indigenisation pathways.
The India Netherlands Hydrogen Fellowship is designed to ensure that research outcomes directly contribute to national clean energy priorities.
DST also hosted the signing of the institution-to-institution MoU between the University of Groningen and 19 IITs, establishing an enabling framework for long-term academic cooperation in hydrogen and green energy research.
The MoU will facilitate faculty and student exchange, joint research, and knowledge sharing, and operates without automatic financial commitments.
The high-level engagement reflected the shared commitment of India and the Netherlands to advance research, capacity building, and deployment-oriented innovation in green hydrogen, aligned with India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, Energy Independence 2047, and Net-Zero 2070 objectives.
Professor Dhirendra S Katti, Director IIT Goa; Prof Venkappayya R Desai, Director IIT Dharwad; Dr Anita Gupta, Head CEST Division, DST; Dr Ranjith Krishna Pai, Senior Director, HVIC and HFC Program Officer, CEST, DST, and senior officials from other IITs were also present at the event.
