The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has extended the deadline for submission of research and development (R&D) proposals under the National Green Hydrogen Mission to April 27, 2024.

The R&D scheme seeks to make the production, storage, transportation and utilisation of green hydrogen more affordable. It also aims to improve the efficiency, safety and reliability of the relevant processes and technologies involved in the green hydrogen value chain.

“While the Call for Proposals is receiving encouraging response, some stakeholders have requested more time for submission of R&D proposals. In view of such requests and to allow sufficient time to the institutions for submitting good-quality proposals, the Ministry has extended the deadline for submission of proposals to 27th April, 2024,” the ministry says.

The scheme also aims to foster partnerships among industry, academia and government to establish an innovation ecosystem for Green Hydrogen technologies. The scheme will also help the scaling up and commercialisation of Green Hydrogen technologies by providing the necessary policy and regulatory support.

As mentioned in the scheme guidelines, which were issued on March 15, 2024, the R&D Scheme will be implemented with a total budgetary outlay of ₹400 crore till the financial year 2025-26.

The support under the R&D programme includes all components of the Green Hydrogen value chain, namely, production, storage, compression, transportation, and utilisation. "The R&D projects supported under the Mission will be goal-oriented, time bound, and suitable to be scaled up. In addition to industrial and institutional research, innovative MSMEs and start-ups working on indigenous technology development will also be encouraged under the Scheme," the ministry says.

The National Green Hydrogen Mission was launched on January 4, 2023, with an outlay of ₹19,744 crore up to the financial year 2029-30.

Follow us on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp to never miss an update from Fortune India. To buy a copy, visit Amazon.