NASCHA is a smart hydrogen communities accelerator in the North Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem and complements related initiatives North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley – NAHV (Horizon Europe), North Adriatic Clean Hydrogen Investment Platform – NACHIP (I3 Programme) and H2Ready (Interreg Italy-Slovenia).

By aligning with European strategies for decarbonisation and smart specialisation, NASCHA aims to:

• Strengthen the transnational hydrogen value chain.
• Support the standardisation and transfer of green hydrogen technologies across regions.
• Lay the groundwork for a sustainable, competitive hydrogen economy in Europe’s cross-border territories.

NASCHA accelerates transnational innovation in the North Adriatic Hydrogen Ecosystem by validating and demonstrating renewable hydrogen (H2) technologies in 3 territories: Croatia, Slovenia, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy).

The initiative provides pilot solutions for H2 value chain, advancing bankability and investor readiness through:

• Three Smart Communities of Practice, demonstrating hydrogen applications via local actor networks;
• Two cross-cutting pilots on hydrogen storage and retail distribution, scalable across the communities;
• One feasibility study.

In addition, NASCHA will support SMEs and scale innovation by providing financial and technical support to at least 20 SMEs through cascade funding and capacity-building programs, fostering their participation in the hydrogen economy.

NASCHA builds on the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) and NACHIP initiatives, targeting three target value chains: transportation & mobility, urban areas and sustainable irrigation. To ensure the sustainability and impact of the project while levering on the above noted initiatives, NASCHA will align governance structures with the NAHV AISBL through the dedicated Replicability Work Package.

NASCHA is co-financed by the European Union through the I3 Instrument implemented by EISMEA – European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency. It was granted under the Call Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 2a (I3- 2024-INV2a). The Agency implements the European Innovation Council and manages other EU programmes focusing on supporting SMEs, innovation and the Single Market, strengthening innovation through advisory and financial support and steering projects in common areas of smart specialisation towards successful commercialization, growth and upgrade.

NASCHA consortium involves 20 private and public organisations spanning Slovenia, Croatia, and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region (FVG), Italy, led by Area Science Park. Other partners of the consortium are CTS H2, Cres, OTRA, ECUBES, Inkubator Sežana, IJS, MOC, Energetika Celje, Incom, ETRA, Ajdovščina, PRA Porin, STEMwise, SIST, Patria, IBAN, UNIZG – FER, META Group and META Circularity.

NASCHA engages actors of the quadruple helix innovation actors from the involved territories with a different level of development and innovation performance, with shared or complementary smart specialisation areas.

The NASCHA initiative has a duration of three years. After the end of EU funding, the continuity of its results and actions will be ensured through the continued operation of the pilot installations, the governance and coordination role of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) AISBL, and the sustained engagement of project partners at local and regional level. The solutions developed and demonstrated within NASCHA, particularly in the areas of hydrogen-based energy storage, clean mobility, agriculture, and energy resilience, will remain operational and will be further used, expanded, or replicated based on regional needs and investment commitments.

NASCHA’s continuity is supported by concrete follow-up investments and long-term operational plans at pilot locations, including the maintenance and expansion of hydrogen systems in Ajdovščina, Celje, and Cres, as well as continued research, innovation, and start-up support through established regional programmes and infrastructures. The knowledge, methodologies, and results generated by the project will remain available to public authorities, SMEs, and innovation actors in the North Adriatic region and will serve as transferable references for other European regions facing similar challenges.

For more information consult the NASCHA dedicated website at https://www.nascha.eu/.