Visit of scientists of NUBiP of Ukraine to leading industrial innovative enterprises, organizations and institutions of Germany

On May 4-8, 2026, a Ukrainian delegation consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, local self-government bodies and representatives of the private sector and the expert community visited Germany. The GIZ Study Trip program «Green Horizont: Exploring the Potential of H2 and Decarbonized Value Chains» included visits to leading industrial innovation enterprises, organizations and institutions focusing on green hydrogen.

The program started in Berlin, where the participants of the visit took part in an exchange of views on the latest developments in the production of clean green energy based on hydrogen at the innovation center of the leading German company «Simens Energy.» According to the presentations provided, EU, Germany in particular, is developing five hydrogenic corridors for hydrogen production — these are the countries of North Africa-Italy, Morocco-Spain, France, Africa-Scotland, the Baltic corridor and the Central-Eastern European one. In this context, the Ukrainian delegation informed that Ukraine is actively developing projects of a «Hydrogen corridor» through Slovakia, the Czech Republic to Germany, having signed relevant memoranda. Such corridors should contribute to the development of gas station networks for hydrogen transport and the conversion of existing gas pipelines for transporting hydrogen using it on the railway, sea and road transport.

The next interesting and important meeting took place near the city of Rostock — at the «Yara International» enterprise, which is also engaged in the production of ammonia, low-carbon fertilizers and the decarbonization strategy in general. The visit to this large plant made a great impression on the Ukrainian delegation, because according to German experts, the country has already begun promoting green hydrogen projects to consumers, including the private sector.

Next, the Ukrainian delegation was expected by the cities of Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen and «Thyssenkrupp Uhde/Uniper» enterprise, a leading European engineering company specializing in the design of chemical, petrochemical and innovative industrial installations, including ammonia cracking. The current potential of Ukraine for the production of fertilizers and ammonia, despite significant destruction and losses, is still of strategic importance for the state's agricultural sector. The existing industrial fertilizer production facilities and distribution network should become the basis of decarbonization and a green chain of gradual value-added creation in the future.

Meeting at the GIZ central office in Eschborn, near Frankfurt am Main, speech by Regina DIETZ — the coordinator of the GIZ H2 cluster, which is connected with hydrogen, a face-to-face acquaintance with the CAPHENIA pilot plant for converting energy and biogas into liquid fuel, and the openness of German partners created an indelible impression for the Ukrainian delegation about their stay in this location. I would like to note that the confidential invitation of our delegation to the installation procedure of the «Packed Bed Reactor» (PBR) Germany I right in the midst of the entire large innovation space of the Hehst Industrial Park gave us the opportunity to be at the top of plasma technology for converting biomethane to syngas.

The final fifth day provided an opportunity to contact representatives of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, in particular with employees of the Department of Regional Development and Energy and the H2 Hydrogen Center. The Federal Ministry of economy and energy (BMWE), by supporting business activities to develop projects that influence the formation of the hydrogen market in the EU, promotes investment in the energy transition and climate protection. The participants of the trip in their speeches during the summing up of the trip recognized the success of this scientific, educational and introductory tour and thanked the German and Ukrainian partners from GIZ.

In conclusion, our business trip took place at the invitation of the German society for international cooperation (GIZ) Gmbh, a federal company operating in more than 120 countries around the world. The GREEN-HORT grant agreement, which is being implemented in NUBiP of Ukraine with the support of the GIZ PROGRESS project, contributed to this study trip.