GW-SHIFT: Great Western Supercluster of Hydrogen Impact for Future Technologies

Great Western Supercluster for Hydrogen Impact for Future Technologies (GW-SHIFT) is co-created by world-leading academic expertise (Universities of Bath, Exeter, Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea, South Wales, Plymouth), innovative civic partners (Western Gateway, Great South West, West of England Combined Authority) and cutting-edge industries (Hydrogen South West, Airbus, GKN, Bristol Airport, easyJet, Bristol Port Company, National Composites Centre, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, Johnson Matthey, etc.) to drive concentrated impact across the H2 ecosystem of South West England and South Wales. It will catalyse cross-sectoral, cross-regional and interdisciplinary opportunities for long-term impact.

The ambition of GW-SHIFT is to grow from a nascent cluster to an established supercluster which is uniquely placed to lead the delivery of the green H2 economies needed to decarbonise the UK, driving joined-up impact that spans multiple sectors (maritime, road, rail, aerospace, chemicals) across the region's unique testbed of urban, rural, and coastal areas and resources.

GW-SHIFT has been co-created by its academic, civic and industry partners with a shared vision to maximise the enormous potential of the region's H2 ecosystem. Its impact will power clean, inclusive growth across the region, maximising world-leading academic knowledge and H2 assets, and enabling key government strategies and targets for a low carbon H2 future. This includes Powering Up Britain and British Energy Strategy targets for 10GW H2 production capacity by 2030 and 100,000 new jobs, £13bn GVA by 2050.

The creation of the supercluster directly addresses key regional strategies and action plans, including the Western Gateway's H2 vision and 'Powering a Greener, Fairer Future' strategy, Great South West's "Speed to the West," WECA's Climate and Ecological Strategy and Action Plan, the West of England Local Industrial Strategy and the Welsh Government's Hydrogen in Wales pathway. Success of the supercluster can deliver the region's targets for 17,000 new H2 jobs by 2050.

GW-SHIFT will drive impact through its aims and objectives to:

1. Grow the GW-SHIFT supercluster of academic, civic and industry partners towards established and sustainable supercluster status via policy and theme conversations and academic-civic-industry secondments.
2. Deliver high impact co-created collaborative projects, with 20 short sprint projects and eight 1-2 year collaborative match-funded projects, leading to the development of new products, processes and techniques, new spin-out companies, significant follow-on funding, new jobs, and regional and national policy impacts.
3. Deliver place-based capacity building across the South-West of England and South Wales H2 ecosystem through entrepreneurial training to academic researchers (including early career), civic and industry staff, cross-mentoring programmes, and upskilling programmes to equip regional workforces for the opportunities of the future H2 economy.
4. Engage key stakeholders across the region (civic, industry, regulatory, public, schools, etc.) via public engagement, school outreach and curriculum development, wider academic, industry and policy engagement to raise awareness of the benefits and opportunities of a future H2 economy and to encourage public acceptability of hydrogen.

The establishment of GW-SHIFT as a hydrogen supercluster for the South of England and South Wales will enable maximum impact from joined-up strategic advances in H2 production, storage and distribution, conversion, end-use applications (for mobility, heating, power), industrial feedstocks, and cross-cutting issues (economic, environmental, social and safety). It will be a critical enabler of a thriving low carbon hydrogen sector in the South-West and South Wales, with national and global applications, delivering energy security, skills, economic growth, supply chain development and driving Net Zero innovations.