We are pleased to announce that two new collaborative projects have been awarded funding through the Joint Call from 4TU.Energy and 4TU.NIRICT. The call aims to strengthen research collaboration between the energy systems and ICT communities across the four Dutch technical universities, supporting interdisciplinary activities that build and grow scientific networks.
The newly funded projects focus on hydrogen systems planning and quantum computing applications for future power systems. Both initiatives will bring together researchers from multiple institutions, fostering knowledge exchange and long-term collaboration.
Project 1: AI-based decision support for cost-effective hydrogen production
Main Applicant: Dr. Faeze Khalighi (University of Twente)
Co-applicants:
Dr. Yashar Hajimolana (UT), Prof. Artur Pozarlik (UT), Prof. Sebastian Thiede (UT),
Dr. Mohammad Khosravi (TU Delft), Dr. Yali Tang (TU/e), Prof. Bert Vreman (TU/e)
This project focuses on the role of artificial intelligence in planning and operating hydrogen production systems that are connected to renewable energy sources. The aim is to explore how flexible, data-driven strategies can make hydrogen production more cost-effective and aligned with fluctuating wind and solar power availability.
The project activities include:
- Two cross-disciplinary workshops
- A hackathon bringing AI and energy researchers together
- Development of an open-source platform for shared models, data, and tools
These activities will support community building and shared learning across fields, linking hydrogen technology experts with AI and systems optimization researchers.
Project 2: Quantum4EnergyNL — Building a community for quantum computing in power and energy systems
Main Applicant: Dr. Nikolaos Paterakis (Eindhoven University of Technology)
Co-applicants:
Dr. Pedro P. Vergara (TU Delft), Dr. Mathias Möller (TU Delft), Dr. Marco Gerards (University of Twente), Dr. June Sallou (Wageningen University & Research)
As power and energy systems become more complex, the computational challenges involved in planning, control, and market operations grow as well. This project will explore the emerging role of quantum computing in addressing these challenges, particularly for large-scale optimization and system coordination.
The initiative will:
- Build a cross-university research network
- Identify strategic research priorities for quantum computing in energy
- Organize workshops, seminars, and a public symposium
- Develop a shared research agenda for national and European cooperation
Quantum4EnergyNL aims to establish a visible and connected Dutch research community in this rapidly developing field.
About the Joint Call for Funding
The 4TU.Energy & 4TU.NIRICT Joint Call for Funding supports interdisciplinary collaborations that connect energy research with information and communication technologies. The funding is designed to encourage new and growing collaborations, particularly through community-building activities such as workshops, shared research platforms, exchange visits, and exploratory project development.
Projects funded under this call must involve researchers from at least three of the four technical universities and are expected to contribute to long-term cooperation within the 4TU network. More details can be found here.
This funding scheme has also supported early collaboration efforts that have led to larger-scale national initiatives.
For example, this community funding played a key role in shaping the consortium behind UTOPYS, which later secured €16.5 million from the NWO Large-Scale Research Infrastructure (LSRI) programme.
🔗 Read the story: https://www.4tu.nl/energy/news/utopys-consortium-secures-16.5-million-lsri-grant-to-advance-th/
This illustrates how small-scale collaboration support can lay the groundwork for high-impact research infrastructure and long-term scientific partnerships.