New bridge for energy cooperation: Hamburg and Japan open research hub for green hydrogen and e-fuels From Hamburg to the World: Interview with Prof. Dr Mehtap Özaslan from the University of Hamburg

Renewable energies are at the heart of the cooperation between Hamburg and Japan. Research-oriented cooperation between the universities of the two countries has come to the fore in recent years and, on 9 March 2026, the Japanese-European Clean Energy Material Research Hub was opened at the University of Hamburg. The facility is intended to serve as a central platform to bundle and support joint activities in the energy transition, especially in the hydrogen sector.

In an interview with the EEHH Cluster, Prof. Dr Mehtap Özaslan, University of Hamburg, explains the background to the newly founded research hub and the key factors for successful international cooperation.

EEHH: Good afternoon, Professor Özaslan. You were appointed to the University of Hamburg in October 2024. Can you briefly take us through your career to date? And what are the main focuses of your work here in Hamburg?

Prof. Özaslan: Hello, Mr Shi. With pleasure. Since October 2024, I have been head of the Technical Electrocatalysis working group at the University of Hamburg. I moved there from the TU Braunschweig, where I had already been working as a W3 professor since 2019. Before that, I held a junior professorship at the University of Oldenburg for five years. I completed my postdoc and my doctorate at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland and at the TU Berlin.

In terms of content, we deal with the electrochemical processes at the interface between electrode and electrolyte on different time and length scales. Our goal is to gain a better understanding of this in order to develop customised porous electrode materials for water electrolysers and fuel cells.

EEHH: Hydrogen is a good keyword. Innovations and the global use of hydrogen thrive on international exchange. Japan is an important partner for Germany in this field of technology. How did this close connection with Japan and the University of Yamanashi come about?

Prof. Özaslan: Our close, synergistic cooperation with the University of Yamanashi began in 2022 through funding from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). This funding was a crucial building block for establishing and intensifying the cooperation with our Japanese colleagues. The excellent support on the ground, for example from the DWIH Tokyo (German House for Research and Innovation) and the German Embassy in Tokyo, has also been extremely helpful.

Scientifically, we already knew each other from various international conferences. The University of Yamanashi is a global forerunner in the field of clean energy nanomaterial research. The first work on fuel cells was carried out there as early as 1978. This long tradition of research also shows why Japan is now considered a pioneer in the field of hydrogen technologies worldwide.

EEHH: The Japanese-European Clean Energy Material Research Hub opened at the start of this week. What do you see as an important factor for this trusting partnership?

Prof. Özaslan: One significant point was certainly the great success of the University of Yamanashi in the J-PEAKS programme (“Program for Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities”), which focuses on clean energy, sustainability and internationalisation. As a funding programme, J-PEAKS aims to strengthen the research competencies of Japanese universities. Only 25 Japanese universities were selected in what was a very competitive process. The programme is comparable to the German Excellence Initiative. The University of Hamburg is very successful in this area. Once again, it will be funded as a University of Excellence for the years 2027 to 2033.

EEHH: What are the next goals?

Prof. Özaslan: Our newly founded “Japanese-European Clean Energy Material Research Hub” with the University of Yamanashi is intended to act as an anchor point for future activities in the field of green hydrogen and e-fuels with other European institutions.

The goal of the Research Hub is to build a strong research network and to act as an incubator for networking, exchange and joint research between business, science and politics in Europe and Japan. This hub is the first of its kind. More are to follow in North America and Asia in the context of the J-PEAKS programme. This will create a global platform that will enable both excellent science and technology transfer and the exchange of ideas in research, industry and politics.

This is also in line with our motto: Think global, Act local.

EEHH: Hamburg and Fukushima Prefecture have a long partnership with a focus on renewable energies. What opportunities does this create for more intensive, research-oriented cooperation?

Prof. Özaslan: Fukushima Prefecture has achieved remarkable development in the field of renewable energies in recent years. In particular, the focus is on the generation of electricity from renewable sources and hydrogen technologies. Fukushima University is also a cooperation partner of the University of Yamanashi as part of the J-PEAKS programme, so I’m very pleased that Hamburg can also make a contribution here. At this point, research serves as a bridge between the two countries to support cooperation.

EEHH: The Smart Energy Week will take place in Tokyo in a few days, and we will participate together with you as a cluster. A visit to Fukushima is also on the itinerary. What are your expectations for this trip?

Prof. Özaslan: I am very much looking forward to the face-to-face personal exchange with my colleagues there. Such encounters are particularly valuable for further deepening existing cooperations and developing new impulses for joint projects. I expect an exciting discussion, because our two countries are facing very similar challenges in the energy sector. This is precisely why we can learn a lot from each other.

EEHH: Finally, let’s look to the future. How could the EEHH Cluster and politics support an even deeper research-oriented cooperation with Japan?

Prof. Özaslan: Crucial is a respectful, open, trusting and continuous exchange between the various interest groups of both countries, i.e. between business, science, politics and society. This also includes regular in-person visits to get to know each other better and to build mutual trust.

Formats such as joint workshops and links to university education can play an important role here. Both politics and the EEHH Cluster can make an important contribution to all of this. Other instruments such as jointly funded research initiatives can also further accelerate cooperation and make it sustainable.

Prof. Özaslan, thank you very much for the informative interview.