Review to the ELEVATEcee Working Conference #1, Vienna, 24 March 2026
On 24 March 2026, the ELEVATEcee Working Conference #1 took place in Vienna, bringing together project owners, industry representatives, research organisations and cluster stakeholders from Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Designed as a hands-on working format, the conference marked an important first milestone in building cross-border hydrogen and green molecules project consortia within the ELEVATEcee initiative.
Unlike conventional conferences, the Working Conference #1 focused on advancing concrete project ideas rather than generating generic discussions. Participants presented existing hydrogen and green molecules concepts along the entire value chain – from production and infrastructure to transport, storage and end-use applications – and worked collaboratively on strengthening these ideas, identifying missing competences and defining next development steps.
Project Pitches
A central element of the conference was the project pitch and partnering format, which enabled targeted matchmaking between industrial project owners, technology providers, research partners and other key stakeholders. Through structured breakout and partnering sessions, initial consortia were formed and synergies across national borders were identified, laying the groundwork for future joint project development in the AT–SK–HU region.
About the Working Conference #1
Working Conference #1 represents the starting point of a three-stage Working Conference series within ELEVATEcee. While the Vienna event focused on consortium formation around pitched projects, the upcoming Working Conferences will further consolidate these consortia, integrate additional partners and, at later stages, include investor and financier perspectives to support the transition towards bankable and fundable projects.
With its strong participation and clear focus on implementation-oriented collaboration, the ELEVATEcee Working Conference #1 demonstrated the high potential for cross-border hydrogen and green molecules value chains in Central and Eastern Europe and set a solid foundation for the next steps within the ELEVATEcee project pipeline.
Impressions from Working Conference #1
The ELEVATEcee Working Conference #1 featured intensive working sessions, project pitches and structured partnering formats, fostering direct exchange among stakeholders from Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.
A selection of impressions from the conference in Vienna is available below and illustrates the collaborative and implementation‑oriented character of the event.
