Behind every European research project lies a diverse network of people, expertise and shared ambition. While scientific results and technological advances are at the core of PeCATHS, the project is ultimately driven by the researchers, engineers and innovators who collaborate across disciplines and borders to make progress possible.

To highlight this human dimension, PeCATHS is launching a new video series titled “Meet the Partners.” This series aims to introduce the organisations and individuals behind the project, explain their roles and contributions, and provide insight into how their work connects to PeCATHS’ broader mission of advancing sustainable hydrogen technologies through photo electrocatalysis and Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs).

Through short, accessible videos, the series offers a behind the scenes look at the consortium. It connects complex scientific work with the people who design experiments, develop materials, run simulations, analyse sustainability impacts and coordinate collaboration across Europe.

Why a “Meet the Partners” series?

PeCATHS brings together partners from different scientific domains including catalysis, materials science, electrochemistry, modelling, advanced characterisation, sustainability assessment and innovation management. Each partner contributes specialised expertise, but the project’s strength lies in how these competences are integrated into a coherent research framework.

Large interdisciplinary projects can sometimes appear abstract from the outside. The “Meet the Partners” series is designed to address this by giving each organisation a voice and a face. It allows audiences to understand not only what PeCATHS is doing, but also who is doing it and why their contribution matters.

By presenting partners in their own words, the series also reflects a core value of PeCATHS: collaboration built on mutual understanding. Innovation in sustainable energy does not happen in isolation. It requires constant dialogue between experimental and theoretical work, between laboratory scale research and real world constraints, and between scientific ambition and environmental responsibility.

A human perspective on complex research

PeCATHS focuses on developing new photo electrocatalytic routes for hydrogen storage using LOHCs. This involves addressing multiple challenges simultaneously, from catalyst design and electrode engineering to reaction mechanisms, system stability and life cycle assessment.

The “Meet the Partners” videos help translate this complexity into a more approachable narrative. Partners explain their role in the project, the questions they are addressing, and how their work supports the overall objectives. Rather than focusing on technical details alone, the videos emphasise motivation, collaboration and the added value of working within a European consortium.

This human perspective is particularly important for early career researchers and students, who can gain insight into how different disciplines interact within a large research project. It also offers transparency to external stakeholders, showing how public funding supports coordinated research efforts aimed at long term societal impact.

Watch the first episode

The first video of the “Meet the Partners” series is now available. It marks the beginning of a sequence of short interviews that will gradually introduce the people and organisations working together within PeCATHS.

Fran Fabregat-Santiago, representing the Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM) at Universitat Jaume I, is part of the coordination team for PeCATHS. Within this collaborative framework, his primary duties centre on the preparation and characterisation of electrodes used in the electrocatalysis process. His work is vital to the project’s mission of combining chemical production for industry with the storage of hydrogen in liquid carriers, effectively solving the logistical challenges of handling hydrogen as a gas. Under his leadership, the team at INAM contributes specialised expertise in materials science to help advance sustainable hydrogen technologies.

Watch the first “Meet the Partners” video here:

Through this series, PeCATHS aims to highlight not only scientific excellence, but also the collaborative spirit that drives innovation forward.