10157903Greater Manchester Electro-Chemical Hydrogen Cluster (GMEHC) phase2ClosedInvestment AcceleratorInnovate UKThe **Greater Manchester Electro-Chemical Hydrogen Cluster (GMEHC) phase 2 project** builds on GMEHC phase 1's aim to create an ecosystem to facilitate accelerated innovation and an investible business case. It will bring together areas of regional expertise to support innovation, enhance Greater Manchester's and the UK's capability in electrochemical hydrogen technologies to drive advancements in renewable energy and support the decarbonisation ambitions of Greater Manchester. The objectives are to: • Advance hydrogen technologies through intensive R&D activities. • Create a regionally based but nationally focused coherent innovation ecosystem with all elements of the value chain that will provide the link between innovation and economic growth, drawing lessons from international comparators. • Leverage and organise a minimum of 1:1 ratio of private sector co-investment against the project funding level. • Build capacity in Greater Manchester SMEs to get them innovation ready and able to commercialise technology developed through R&D programmes. GMEHC phase 2 project scope will continue to be delivered across three distinct strands of delivery. These are: 1.Technical research and development GMEHC phase 2 will continue to deliver and extend four 'testbed' R&D projects with key industry partners through more detailed and extensive R&D activity, and increase the opportunity for new products and services. SMEs will also be supported to develop the technology readiness of their products and thereby increasing the capacity of the GM Innovation Ecosystem. 2.Innovation capacity building This will focus on a new industry partnership with Bosch, specifically their PEM Electrolyser Fuel Cell Stack. Delivered through cohorts of knowledge exchange workshops, the aim is to support SMEs to understand the opportunity, building the local supply chain and manufacturing capability, and become systems integrators for Bosch. 3.Enhancing regional capability Strand 3 will build on the business case developed in phase 1 including the design, location and options to create a new National Centre for industrialisation of fuel cells and electrolysers, based in Manchester. It will deliver an Electrochemical Hydrogen Technologies Economic Review and model a data-led review of the enhanced capabilities identified in the Phase 1 reports of GMEHC. This will feed into and create a "foundational hydrogen economy and capability matrix" for Greater Manchester.