ExpectedOutcome:
Public and consumer understanding and acceptance will play a critical role in the successful future adoption of hydrogen and fuel cell (FCH) applications, both in the residential and the transport sectors. As markets for FCH technologies develop, citizens may react in different ways to hydrogen policies and infrastructures in their countries, regions and cities, and consumers and end-users will decide whether fuel cell applications fit their circumstances. The transition to hydrogen therefore not only poses technological challenges; it also requires a better understanding and response to cross-cutting issues related to citizen and consumer understanding and acceptance as well as broader environmental, socio-cultural and political issues.
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following outcomes:
- Understanding public perceptions and reactions to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies;
- Identification of the main individual-level determinants of public understanding and acceptance of FCH technologies;
- Enhancing involvement of citizens in the implementation of solutions contributing to the transition to hydrogen and fuel cells;
- Understanding the pathways to influence public opinion by analysis of the current depiction of FCH technologies in broadcasts, newspapers, and social media, and from this developing a public information strategy;
- Assessment of the specific role of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of FCH technologies in both the public acceptance of FCH technologies and informed decision-making.
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following objectives of the Clean Hydrogen JU SRIA: (especially for Cross-cutting issues - Area: Education and Public Awareness):
- to raise public awareness and trust towards hydrogen technologies and their system benefits, through the provision of guidelines/good practices and various engagement activities such as general public conferences and workshops, brochures, public show rooms, e.g. museum displays; addressing and informing local authorities, certification bodies, first responders, etc.
Scope:
The challenge for this topic is to further understand reactions and attitudes towards FCH technologies among citizens, consumers, and stakeholders in Europe for developing a comprehensive set of guidelines/good practices and engagement activities to increase public awareness and trust, supporting the mass uptake of FCH technologies in Europe. The successful proposal should generate empirical evidence regarding public attitudes towards FCH technologies in Europe. This knowledge will inform the future implementation of actions aimed at devising more effective ways of involving citizens and stakeholders in FCH related aspects and projects.
Activities should take into account the outcomes of the public tender launched in 2021 by the FCH 2 JU on the "public opinion survey and measures to be taken to overcome the challenges" [1] as well as previous and ongoing FCH projects and initiatives engaging the public, on previous social research on public attitudes and reactions to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and specific social research initiatives on FCH technologies and applications such as the activities of the HYACINTH project [2] (FCH 2 JU, 2014-2017), facilitating the learnings from past and on-going experiences and successes for the development of the final guidelines/good practices and engagement activities.
Activities should focus on FCH technologies as a whole and should target the public and specific groups of stakeholders from sectors and territories for which the development and deployment of FCH technologies can play an important role.
Activities should include social research and public engagement activities, implemented in a significant number of Member States or associated countries, covering but not limited to EU-13 countries, such as world cafes, panel debates, focus groups, workshops, demonstrations, ‘hands-on’ events (e.g.: museum workshops), surveys, exhibitions, social media campaigns, etc. targeted at the public and relevant FCH stakeholders and coming from a collaborative, science-driven framework that involves social/sustainability scientists and FCH experts, scientists experts in popular science, scientific content editors, etc. as needed. Projects should provide a quantitative assessment of the impacts foreseen, providing the metrics and/or indicators to assess the impacts of the engagement activities towards the identified target groups.
The use of bridging tools (for instance, Social Life Cycle Assessment) to facilitate the connection between the technical and social dimensions and enable informed decision-making is encouraged. In this regard, the joint work between social sciences experts and experts in the entire FCH value chain, among others, should result in sound guidelines and materials for future FCH public engagement programmes, projects, and outreach activities.
A balanced overall coverage of EU countries should be sought. All categories of the population, including minorities, youth and the elder generation, as well as urban, peri-urban and rural areas, should be considered.
Activities should envisage links and synergies with existing platforms and/or projects on FCH technologies as well as means of collaboration with similar activities ongoing internationally.
Proposals are expected to contribute towards the activities of Mission Innovation 2.0 - Clean Hydrogen Mission. Cooperation with entities from Clean Hydrogen Mission member countries, which are neither EU Member States nor Horizon Europe Associated countries, is encouraged (see section 2.2.6.8 International Cooperation).
The conditions related to this topic are provided in the chapter 2.2.3.2 of the Clean Hydrogen JU 2022 Annual Work Plan and in the General Annexes to the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021–2022 which apply mutatis mutandis.
[1]https://etendering.ted.europa.eu/cft/cft-display.html?cftId=8895
[2]https://www.clean-hydrogen.europa.eu/projects-repository_en
