Led by the University of Pécs, a national research and development program with over 6.3 billion forints in funding was carried out to examine the practical applications of hydrogen technologies, carbon dioxide utilization, and renewable energy storage. The findings of the National Laboratory for Renewable Energy also carry an important message for Baranya County: Pécs and the county can increasingly integrate themselves into the value chains of green industry, energy, and technology investments.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory project, launched in 2022 by the University of Pécs as the lead partner in collaboration with nine Hungarian universities and research institutes, was completed on April 30, 2026. The project received 6.304 billion forints in non-repayable EU funding under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, through the call for proposals titled “Establishment and Comprehensive Development of National Laboratories.”
The significance of the program lies in the fact that it was not merely a research collaboration: the laboratory’s goal was to develop technological solutions that could support Hungary’s green transition, energy independence, and industrial competitiveness. The project’s two main research areas were the development of hydrogen technologies and the capture, storage, and utilization of carbon dioxide.
The practical outcomes of this development include pilot systems capable of producing green hydrogen and synthetic liquid fuels from renewable electricity. Two demonstration systems have been commissioned at the energy innovation test station established at the University of Szeged Science Park: one showcases power-to-gas technology, while the other demonstrates power-to-liquid technology. The latter was implemented in strategic cooperation with MOL.
The project also resulted in the development of new catalysts, membrane materials, battery technology advancements, and hydrogen storage solutions. In addition, the laboratory prepared the “Carbon Dioxide Storage and Utilization” White Paper, as well as Hungary’s first draft CCUS strategy, which is currently undergoing policy consultation.
Why is this important to Baranya?
The National Laboratory for Renewable Energy is a nationwide project, but it is particularly important for Baranya that the initiative was launched in Pécs under the leadership of the University of Pécs. This reinforces the regional position on which the county’s economic development and investment promotion goals are also based: Baranya is capable of positioning itself on the investor map not only as an industrial hub but also as a center of knowledge, research, and innovation.
The county’s development documents also emphasize that the University of Pécs serves as a hub for R&D&I and energy cooperation, as well as a strong educational foundation for Baranya. In the county’s regional development strategy, a sustainable economy, the efficient use of strategic resources, and the creation of an economic structure with higher added value are all key priorities.
This project is also in line with Baranya County’s investment promotion efforts, as the county aims to increase the volume of new working capital investments and reinvestments, as well as integrating the county into European Union and international investment processes.
Turning knowledge into economic advantage
Green hydrogen, synthetic fuels, and carbon capture are no longer distant research topics, but key areas of industrial development for the coming decade. Regions that possess a combination of research infrastructure, a skilled workforce, industrial capacity, and a proactive approach to investment incentives may gain an advantage in the competition for green industry investments.
Baranya has strong assets in this process. Pécs’s university and research capacity, the region’s industrial parks, its geographical location along the southern border, and its potential for connections with Croatia and the Western Balkans can collectively lay the foundation for an investment environment in which sustainable energy and the environmental industry can play a key role.
The establishment of a knowledge base in hydrogen technology at the University of Pécs is also reflected in the operation of the Hydrogen Center, whose mission is to plan hydrogen production, storage, and utilization based on renewable energy sources, as well as to implement demonstration projects.
Baranya on the green transition map
The closure of the National Laboratory for Renewable Energy does not mark the end of a process, but rather the consolidation of a new direction in economic development. The project has demonstrated that Pécs’s knowledge base is capable of leading research collaborations of national significance and can produce results in industrial and technological fields that may prove decisive in investment decisions in the coming years.
The next step for Baranya County could be to build on research findings, the expertise of the University of Pécs, and the county’s investment promotion tools to specifically target companies seeking development sites in the fields of green energy, hydrogen technology, energy storage, the environmental industry, and industrial decarbonization.
The message of the Pécs-led project is clear: Baranya is capable not only of keeping pace with the green economic transition, but also of shaping it.
