The H2SYMBIOTIC – Multi-Sector Hydrogen Integration for Decarbonisation and Circularity project has been awarded more than €13 million in funding under the Portugal 2030 Mini-Agendas programme.

Coordinated by WinPower, the consortium brings together 11 partners: WinPower, FEUP, NET4CO2, HyLab, Built CoLAB, INESC TEC, SYSADVANCE, VentilAQUA, Águas e Energia do Porto, Fado Energy, and Grama Maiúscula.

At FEUP, the project is coordinated by Vítor Jorge Pais Vilar and has been allocated a budget of €543,000. Officially launched on 1st July 2026, H₂SYMBIOTIC aims to develop and demonstrate integrated green hydrogen hubs that combine hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and end-use across industrial and urban environments. The project adopts a systemic approach to accelerate decarbonisation by integrating renewable hydrogen with water reuse and the recovery and valorisation of key by-products, including oxygen, waste heat, biogas, and nutrients. The project will also develop advanced digital tools to support the planning, operation, optimisation, and replication of integrated hydrogen ecosystems, contributing to the transition towards a more circular, resilient, and climate-neutral economy. Through this multidisciplinary approach, H₂SYMBIOTIC is expected to strengthen Portugal's hydrogen value chain while fostering industrial innovation and the large-scale deployment of sustainable energy solutions.

On June 18, 2026, the LSRE-LCM/FEUP team participated in the VAL2FOOD - Valorisation of Agricultural Crop Processing Waste for Sustainable Packaging and Food Shelf-LifeExtension consortium meeting, held in Romania and hosted by the project coordinator, Silver Rom Agro (SRA).

The meeting brought together representatives from all project partners, including SRA (Romania), FEUP/LSRE-LCM and INOVA+ (Portugal), and Bangor University (Wales, UK). FEUP was represented by the project Principal Investigator, Andreia Ribeiro, and researcher Isabel Martins.

The meeting provided an opportunity to review the project's progress, discuss the implementation of the different workpackages, and align the next technical and management activities.

Funded under the VInnovate 2024 programme of the Vanguard Initiative Bioeconomy Pilot, VAL2FOOD is an international collaborative project focused on the valorisation of agricultural processing residues through a biorefinery approach, aiming to recover high-value bioactive compounds and lignocellulosic fibres for the development of active food packaging and food shelf-life extension technologies, contributing to the transition towards a circular and sustainable bioeconomy.