The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the European Union’s Trade and Technology Council (TTC) have invited bids to generate renewable hydrogen from agricultural, forest, and industrial biogenic waste.

The last date to submit proposals is September 5, 2025.

MNRE and the TTC will provide joint funding of ₹900 million (~$10.57 million).

A maximum of two projects can be funded under this proposal.

Selected bidders must complete the project between 36 and 48 months.

A project consortium from India must include at least three participants each from India and Europe.

The scope of work covers developing technologies to produce renewable hydrogen from biogenic waste (without recycling potential) through biochemical and thermochemical pathways.

The project will focus on increasing resource efficiency, i.e., its carbon-to-hydrogen yield, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, potentially even generating a negative carbon footprint.

It will also focus on reducing the environmental footprint of pollution and water consumption, as well as lowering the production cost of hydrogen.

The project can also utilize aqueous and gaseous streams from primary conversion and/or their further conversion using biological, electrochemical, biochemical, and/or catalytic technologies to generate green hydrogen.

Selected bidders must assess the feedstock’s supply cost at both regional and local levels, considering the selected conversion technology. They must improve feedstock mobilization patterns, including through the use of enabling technologies such as digitalization.

Successful bidders must examine the safety aspects and methods to enhance safety measures for hydrogen and other gaseous and system component leakages. These aspects must be addressed in a ‘Hydrogen Safety Planning and Management’ plan at the project level.

Bid proposals must be led by faculty members or scientists working in regular positions in recognized academic institutions and public-funded research and development (R&D) institutions or laboratories.

They can also be from central and state government autonomous organizations, in partnership with other academic and R&D organizations, as well as scientific and industrial research organizations recognized by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Central and state autonomous organizations, industry associations, and industries can also submit the proposals.

Alternatively, bidders can be from relevant industries, public sector undertakings, or startups.

In November 2024, to promote innovative production and utilization of green hydrogen across various sectors, MNRE unveiled a program to support pilot projects exploring novel methods and pathways for green hydrogen production and use, particularly in residential, commercial, and decentralized applications. The program was allocated a budget of ₹2 billion (~$23.7 million) until the financial year 2025-26.

In November 2024, MNRE invited proposals to set up Centers of Excellence under the National Green Hydrogen Mission’s Research and Development program to promote R&D in the green hydrogen sector.