Hydrogen Safety - TeacHy
FCH JU - TeacHy

Framework Programme: H2020

Call for proposals: 2017

Application area: Cross-cutting issues

Project Pillar: Cross-Cutting

Topic: FCH-04-3-2017 European Higher Training Network in Fuel Cells and Hydrogen

Contract type: Coordination and Support Action

Start date: Wednesday, November 1, 2017

End date: Saturday, October 31, 2020

Duration: 36 months

Project funding: 1,248,528.75 €

Coordinator: THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom

Other participating organisations: Participants

About TeacHy


As the FCHT industry gradually emerges into the markets, the need for trained staff becomes more pressing. TeacHy2020 specifically addresses the supply of undergraduate and graduate education (BEng/BSc, MEng/MSc, PhD etc.) in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies (FCHT) across Europe. TeacHy 2020 will take a lead in building a repository of university grade educational material, and design and run an MSc course in FCHT, accessible to students from all parts of Europe. To achieve this, the project has assembled a core group of highly experienced institutions working with a network of associate partners (universities, vocational training bodies, industry, and networks). TeacHy2020 offers these partners access to its educational material and the use of the MSc course modules available on the TeacHy2020 site. Any university being able to offer 20% of the course content locally, can draw on the other 80% to be supplied by the project. This will allow any institution to participate in this European initiative with a minimised local investment. TeacHy2020 will be offering solutions to accreditation and quality control of courses, and support student and industry staff mobility by giving access to placements. Schemes of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) will be integrated into the project activities. We expect a considerable leverage effect which will specifically enable countries with a notable lack of expertise, not only in Eastern Europe, to quickly be able to form a national body of experts. TeacHy will offer educational material for the general public (e.g. MOOCs), build a business model to continue operations post-project, and as such act as a single-stop shop and representative for all matters of European university and vocational training in FCHT. The project partnership covers the prevalent languages and educational systems in Europe. The associated network has over 20 partners, including two IPHE countries, and a strong link to IPHE activities in education.

Project Objectives


The project strives to deliver a substantially improved teaching of Fuel Cell and Hydrogen content across Europe by the year 2020. TeacHy2020 will provide high-quality, harmonised educational content and infrastructure for FCH education to be shared across a network of currently more than 75 educational and training institutions in Europe. The innovative idea is that we will enable institutions to offer educational courses that would otherwise not be available locally, and allow students access to a mix of both face-to-face and e-learning content. Any educational institution across Europe that fulfils minimum requirements of adheres to the project quality standards of delivery can participate in these activities. The network will be grown while the project is active with a final goal of around 200 institutions participating. This would probably represent the maximum number of institutions across Europe that could be willing and suitable to participate in the project programme. TeacHy2020 will coordinate undergraduate (BSc/BEng) and graduate (MSc/MEng/PhD) university training and the equivalent vocational training activities across Europe. It will implement an MSc course as an exemplary element of FCH training. This challenging, and necessary activity will serve as a testing ground for future expansions of harmonised educational activities across Europe outside of the scope of this specific project. The MSc course implemented will be accredited locally (with the support of the project) in order to fully integrate it into the individual university curriculum. Also, this should avoid any potential conflicts between EU-wide regulation and university (and Member State) accreditation schemes. The project will deliver continuous further development of the educational material and programme, validation of courses, accreditation support, integration of new network members, and general further development. TeacHy2020 will secure the operations of the project activities post-project for a target of minimum 5 years. This entity will also act as a single stop shop and voice of FCH training and education in the EU towards the variety of stakeholders involved in educational and FCH aspects in Europe and the IPHE. The project will underpin its central activities by organising regular alumni meetings, by supporting summer schools, arranging a staff and student exchange programme, and by organising regular project assemblies with the opportunity for teaching staff to network and exchange experiences of best practice. In order to grow the activities and link to global developments, international partners from EU associated and IPHE countries have been integrated into the project. A strong link to the educational activities of the IPHE has been built, as well as a large network of vocational training, university, networking, and stakeholder involvement, spanning Europe and main FCH countries in the world. The project will tie in with the new e-learning platform project, NET-Tools, led by KIT. This project aims at delivering educational material in Open Access. Both projects will join forces in enabling facile access to educational material, though under slightly differing conditions.

Project Outcomes


  • Combine the expertise of a core group of 12 universities and educational institutions possessing a commanding position in academic activities relevant to the field of Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies and their safety, making best use of previous educational and having educational component projects co-funded by the FCH JU, such as HySafe, TrainHy, HyProfessionals, HyFacts, HyResponse, and KnowHy, by integrating partners of these projects and building on the project outcomes.
  • Provide FCH teaching and training material for access throughout Europe for undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
  • Implement a system of regular updates of course curriculum and content.
  • Integrate (higher level) vocational training into the project delivery.
  • Establish a European MSc course in Fuel Cell and Hydrogen (FCH) Technology that will carry ECTS (or equivalent, convertible credit system) points.
  • Establish a network (cluster) of associate partners to assist in delivering the project, and foster promotion and expansion of the teaching content, including international partners from IPHE countries.
  • Ensure availability of course contents in 7 European languages namely German, French, English, Romanian, Italian, Czech, and Dutch.
  • Perform a trial run of the MSc course in the first half of the project at five different partner institutes, and a full run in the later half with at least 20 students enrolled.
  • Integrate a CPD scheme into the curriculum supported by a team of vocational training institutes.
  • Utilise an online e-learning platform in cooperation with KIT (NET-Tools) to store, share and discuss FCH teaching and training material; this will be accessible to students and lecturers across Europe.
  • Establish access of students to "laboratory experience" without a laboratory using "serious games" developments from KnowHy and a "remote laboratory" concept for remote real test bench work and monitoring of real-world systems.
  • Deliver additional MOOC's in Open Access to help promote and foster education and training of the general public and FCH stakeholders.
  • Organise and support student/alumni conferences, summer schools, student events, and workshops.
  • Set up a student-staff exchange programme between universities, vocational training centres, and industry partners with at least 30 exchanges taking place during the project.
  • Establish an Advisory Board that will be responsible for shaping the course syllabus, including a variety of stakeholders across the FCH community and beyond.
  • Establish a global dissemination campaign to promote the teaching and training activities ongoing in the project.
  • Establish a business entity to ensure continuation of course delivery for a minimum of 5 years post- project, based on a subscription scheme or on student tuition fees.


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    The TeacHy project is part of the project portfolio of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking.

    Project reference: 779730.