FH Upper Austria secures €3 million in federal funding for research into future-focused topics amid strong competition.

A total of nearly €3 million in funding has been awarded to FH Upper Austria’s Wels Campus for three new research projects. The funding will support both the university’s materials research activities and the Hydrogen Research Center, which opened only last year.

The successful projects are funded through the Austrian federal program “FH Research for Industry 2026”, administered by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism (BMWET). The program aims to strengthen research capabilities at universities of applied sciences and is managed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).

Competition for funding was intense: across Austria, only 12 out of 52 submitted projects were selected for support. The newly funded projects are expected to generate valuable impulses for numerous companies, helping them enhance their innovation capacity and strengthen their competitiveness through applied research.

Reliable Materials for Hydrogen Transport and Storage
Hydrogen is increasingly becoming a key enabler of a climate-neutral and resilient industrial sector. It allows large amounts of energy to be transported efficiently over long distances and stored for extended periods. However, the safety and reliability of hydrogen transport and storage systems depend heavily on the performance of the materials used.

Hydrogen can diffuse into metals, polymers, and elastomers, potentially causing ageing, embrittlement, crack formation, or leakage. Material interfaces such as membranes, seals, and welded joints are particularly critical, as they are often the most vulnerable components in hydrogen applications.

Despite extensive fundamental knowledge in this field, there is still a lack of systematic and comparable studies investigating these components under realistic operating conditions. Transferable testing and evaluation methods are also not yet sufficiently established. This knowledge gap represents a significant barrier to innovation, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), limiting the development and deployment of reliable hydrogen technologies.

Dr. Julia Thalhammer and her team have secured more than €1.5 million in funding over the next four years for their project “TRUST H2” to address these challenges. 

“The future of the hydrogen economy depends decisively on the reliability of the materials used,” explains Thalhammer. “In the TRUST H2 project, we are developing realistic testing methods for critical material interfaces and exploring ways to transfer the results into industrial applications. This will provide companies with a sound basis for decision-making and support the safe implementation of hydrogen technologies.”

The project has already attracted strong industry interest, with 17 Austrian companies expressing their support through letters of intent. This highlights the significant demand for practical research solutions that can help industry overcome current material-related challenges and accelerate the adoption of hydrogen technologies.

3D-Printed Components for Hydrogen Applications
A second project closely linked to the development of climate-friendly hydrogen technologies is led by Sascha Senck, PhD, in collaboration with FOTEC, a subsidiary of FH Wiener Neustadt. The research focuses on supporting companies that aim to economically retrofit existing systems for hydrogen applications, extend the service life of their equipment, and rapidly integrate new technologies into industrial value chains.

A key enabling technology is additive manufacturing (3D printing), which makes it possible to produce complex, highly durable, and functionally integrated components that are often difficult or impossible to manufacture using conventional methods. For hydrogen combustion at high temperatures and for high-pressure applications in particular, additive manufacturing opens up entirely new design possibilities and degrees of freedom.

The project HyMATec is dedicated to expanding application-oriented expertise in additive manufacturing, simulation, non-destructive testing, and material characterization for hydrogen applications.

“HyMATec enables the end-to-end development and validation of additively manufactured components for demanding hydrogen applications,” says Sascha Senck. “What particularly motivates me is the interdisciplinary approach, which brings together the complementary expertise of FOTEC and FH Upper Austria in process development, numerical simulation, and non-destructive testing.” He adds: “We are creating an application-oriented development platform that provides Austrian SMEs with direct access to reliable design, testing, and optimization methods for hydrogen-compatible components.” The project is intended to accelerate innovation and lower technological barriers for companies seeking to adopt hydrogen technologies in industrial practice.

Innovative Films for Environmentally Friendly Plastic Packaging
Sustainability, environmental protection, and preserving our living environment both ecologically and economically are issues that are personally important to me,” says Dr. Christian Kneidinger. With his project “NaKuNaBa,” which has been awarded €1.162 million in funding, he aims to contribute to environmental conservation while also helping to “secure value creation and jobs in Austria and Europe.”

The project focuses on the development of innovative plastic films for recyclable and circular packaging solutions that comply with the requirements of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). The research centers on manufacturing processes for circular-ready plastic films with significantly improved barrier performance against oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor while maintaining excellent mechanical properties, attractive appearance, and high-quality surface characteristics.

Dr. Kneidinger has defined three key technological objectives:

1. Development of new manufacturing processes that enable higher-performance films using already established packaging materials.
2. Advancement of processing technologies for alternative polymer materials, such as PEF (polyethylene furanoate), which can reduce the carbon footprint by up to 70% compared to PET.
3. Integration of the newly developed processes with these next-generation materials to maximize both sustainability and performance benefits.

NaKuNaBa tackles key technological challenges associated with a resource-efficient circular economy while maintaining the high packaging performance required by industry.

Who stands to benefit from this research? According to Dr. Kneidinger, the primary target groups are manufacturers of plastics processing equipment, plastics converters, and contract packaging companies. More broadly, however, the project is relevant to any company that packages products. 

Future UAP Builds on Applied Research and an International Outlook
“These new projects enable us to further expand our research activities in the future-oriented fields of hydrogen technologies and sustainable materials,” says Vice President for Research, FH-Prof. PD Dr. Johann Kastner.

For FH Upper Austria President FH-Prof. DI Dr. Michael Rabl, the newly acquired research projects exemplify the university’s strategic direction: “Starting in January 2027, we will increase our international visibility under the name UAP University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. This positioning is built on our strong foundation in applied research, where we work closely with partners to develop practical solutions for business and society.”