Abstract
The North Adriatic Clean Hydrogen Investment Platform (NACHIP) is a three-year initiative accelerating the development and deployment of renewable hydrogen technologies across the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV), with a focus on less developed regions. Targeting hydrogen production, urban energy applications, and mobility, the project validates emerging technologies at TRL 8-9, pilots dynamic value chains, and develops an acceleration programme to facilitate market uptake. By expanding the regional hydrogen ecosystem, enhancing investment readiness, and enabling replication across European innovation ecosystems, NACHIP strengthens interregional collaboration and fosters a sustainable, low-carbon energy transition.
The project consortium includes 12 partners from Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy, comprising SMEs, public institutions, and research organisations. NACHIP implements five pilot projects covering hydrogen production, transport, and manufacturing, supported by Cascade Financing to advance technology maturation. Up to 18 SMEs receive grants of €60,000 each and join a two-tier acceleration programme, while local hydrogen alliances—such as the pilot in Velenje—develop transferable governance models. Innovations include green hydrogen production from sea waves and waste recycling, along with advanced transport solutions. With around 60% of co-financing directed to less developed regions, NACHIP ensures equitable growth, and its outcomes will be integrated into the NAHV Special-Purpose Vehicle for long-term sustainability and wider EU impact.
The project brings together a consortium of 12 partners from Croatia, Slovenia, and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy, working to validate and demonstrate clean hydrogen technologies across three key areas: production, urban areas, and mobility.
Project includes 12 partners out of which are private companies- manufacturing and providing services for capacity building and communication and including public institutions as well. Like research institute.
To LDR project enables promotion of hydrogen technoogy as one of the concepts to replace traditional energy sources. It also enables promotion and investments in this technology within LDR.
Other projects of cooperation are NAHV, where also Italy, Slovenia and Croatia are cooperating. For the future here is NASHA project based on some very similar partnerships.
The majority of the financing requested is destined to SMEs with predominant part to be allocated to less developed regions. More specifically, from the total co-financing provided 68 % is destined to finance the implementation of 5 pilot projects. The predominant part of these activities is destined to partners who are SMEs, while in a minor part reaches two public entities involved in the development of the local hydrogen alliance in Municipality of Velenje. Together with the Cascade financing carried out through two Open Calls, it is foreseen that 82 % of the total co-financing requested will be destined directly into the maturation of the technologies and other specific solutions related to their value-chain integration and scaling. This portion of financing includes Cascade Financing destined to the follow-on activities identified through the gaps fulfilment process. Furthermore, a predominant part of the Cascade Funding will be destined to SMEs in the less developed regions of the target territories, including Eastern Slovenia, Mediterranean Croatia and Central Croatia. It is planned that 60 % of the financing is allocated to less developed regions. entities from these regions out of which the Cascade Funding alone is planned to amount at 13%.
NORTH ADRIATIC CLEAN (RENEWABLE) HYDROGEN INVESTMENT PLATFORM (NACHIP) aims to accelerate and strengthen innovation related to the North Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem by focusing on the investments in renewable hydrogen-related technologies associated with three value chains: manufacturing, urban areas and mobility and maximises the impact by pursing the implementation of an investment platform to be used to continue integrating and scaling advanced technologies into the Ecosystem, transferrable to other connected regional Innovation Ecosystems across the EU.
NACHIP’s main goals are: (1) to implement and scale a portfolio of investment propositions of hydrogen-related technologies, initially as pilots at the level of TRL 6 or higher, along the selected value-chain and build dedicated capacities to support the further development of the three value chains; 2) to develop the “local hydrogen alliances” designed around these pilots, which represent the respective bedrocks for the further development of the target value chains; 3) to generate an investable portfolio of hydrogen-related solutions with an acceleration programme to systematically support a continuous process of maturation of novel technologies related to the renewable hydrogen and their dissemination and further integration into the NAHV Ecosystem and beyond.
TRL progression is from 6-7 to 8-9, depending on the pilot included in the project.
NACHIP addresses the thematic priority of the green transition in relation to burning challenges. Specifically: (a) innovative investments in decarbonisation, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and contribution to the improvement of the air quality, health and wellbeing; (b) innovative investments in SMART cities; (c) innovative business investments related to smart, sustainable and efficient transport solutions and alternative fuels; (d) investments in the management of natural resources,
including the use of recycled materials, especially construction materials, plastics and textiles through the repurposing of existing facilities like buildings and industrial space for the use of the hydrogen-related technologies, to stimulate demand for secondary markets for raw materials; (e) business investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency to make industry more sustainable; (f) business investments related to energy efficiency in buildings; g) business investments in the circular economy, (h) investments in sustainable business models and alternative modes of production and consumption, particularly through leasing, modular design, industrial symbiosis and other approaches.
The NACHIP technology portfolio approach departs from five selected pilot projects and adds on through Cascade Financing. It brings the dispersion of risk on one hand and opportunities for capacity building and expert support actions designed at scale on the other hand, where cross-learning and other spill-over effects improve the efficiency of the outcome of such a process of portfolio management.
The solution led by FABER Spa is one of the five pilots of the NACHIP and is complementary to a testbed project which FABER leads as a partner of the NAHV Horizon Europe. Local hydrogen alliances like the one piloted around the pilot project in Velenje aim to develop a governance model, which can be transferred to other sites. Data Set, an investment sizing and operations planning tool to be developed by UNIZG-FER and JSI facilitates investments design to be made systematic.
Serichim and FABER are developing tools for hydrogen transport. DOK-ING and Leonitus are developing manufacturing procedures for green hydrogen manufacturing (using waste and sea waves). ETRA pilot is focusing on hydrogen production as well, using solar power.
In Croatia, the project with its identified investments plans, directly addresses the Smart and Clean Energy Thematic Priority area 5.2. of the S3. It fulfils transformational objectives of the thematic priority area by addressing renewable hydrogen as a new energy source and it will significantly contribute to the objective of the competitiveness of the energy sector with the production and use of clean and smart energy. The NACHIP will also contribute with implementing goals as set in the Thematic priority 5.3. Smart and clean transportation with setting up infrastructure needed for alternative fuels i.e. renewable hydrogen. In Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region, it complies with Sustainable Smart Specialisation Strategy (S4), specific areas 1. Energy transition, Circular economy and Environmental Sustainability, 2 Smart Factory, Sustainable development Made in Italy supply chains. Maritime Technologies- Sustainable Waterborne Mobility and its land connections corresponds with the NACHIP objectives. The NACHIP also corresponds with the goals of Slovenia’s sustainable smart specialisation strategy (S4+), namely in focus areas of Energy and Utilities, Management of quality of life in urban areas and Mobility in priority area Smart cities and communities and focus area of Sustainable energy in priority area Networks for the Transition to a Circular Economy.
The planned budget for FSTP is 1,2 mio EUR and minimum of 18 SME's will be supported.
The total co-financing provided by the NACHIP amounts to EUR 7.6 million, out of which 67.2% is destined to finance the implementation of 5 pilot projects. Altogether, 82% of the total co-financing requested will be destined directly to the maturation of the technologies including the gaps fulfilment process supported by Cascade Financing. Almost 80% of co-financing destined to SMEs. The predominant part of the Cascade Funding will be destined to SMEs in the less developed regions of the target territories, including Eastern Slovenia, Mediterranean Croatia and Central Croatia, which will receive 60% of the total financing requested. The co-financing is well balanced among the three territories of the NAHV allocating 19.3% (23.8% to Italy), 30.4%, and 31.7% of the total financing requested to FVG, Slovenia and Croatia, respectively, before the allocation of the Cascade Financing.
The goal is to develop green hydrogen manufacturing from the sea waves and from the waste recycling. A further goal is to develop innovative solutions for hydrogen transport - in larger tanks and smaller ones (2 different procedures).
As of July 2025, we are in the middle of the final process, and it appears to be on track.