The French actors in the area of hydrogen and Fuel Cells are grouped in the academic Research network (called in French GdR, http://www.gdr-hyspac.cnrs.fr/) "Hydrogen, systems and Fuel cells" (HySPàC). HYSPAC research grouping assembles all academic research groups in the field of production and storage of hydrogen and also fuel cell (FC) and electrolysers. The total size of HYSPAC is about 108 laboratories mainly from the CNRS (national center of scientific research, http://www.cnrs.fr/index.php) and CEA (a French government-funded technological research organization, http://www.cnrs.fr/index.php). One of the aims of this network is to stimulate collaborative projects within chimists, physicists, and technologists, to promote exchanges between researchers in order to support the emergence and to animate new inter-disciplinary collaborations at the national level.
The HySPàC network is chaired by Prof. Olivier JOUBERT (IMN-Nantes) and is organized into four axes:
-Fuel cells and electrolysers working at high temperature, SOFC and SOEC (Chair: Dr Julie Mougin, from CEA-Grenoble)
-Fuel cells and electrolysers working at low temperature, PEMFC (Chair: Prof. Christophe Coutanceau from IC2MP-Poitiers)
- Fuel cell and electrolyser Systems (Chair Prof. Hissel Daniel, from FCLAB-Belfort and Christophe Turpin from LAPLACE-Toulouse)
- Production and storage of hydrogen (Chair Dr Fermin Cuevas, from ICMPE-Paris)
These four axes gather well known scientific experts in the area of fuel cells and hydrogen located in also well known laboratories.
Created in 1988 by French chemist known worldwide Jean Rouxel (the cons), the Institute of Materials has become a leading materials research centers in France. Its work contributes to the development of many industrial processes in the field of high technology.
The Institute of Materials Jean Rouxel brings together over 130 researchers today (chemists, physicists, materials engineers from CNRS and the University of Nantes), administrative and technical staff and 90 contract for research.
Through the design and characterization of new materials, laboratory approach leads to the optimization of a wide range of properties for applications such as photovoltaic cells, fuel cells, batteries for electric vehicles, nanotechnologies and materials for memories, photonic and optical.
Les Pays de la Loire sont une région du Grand Ouest français regroupant les départements de la Loire-Atlantique, de Maine-et-Loire, de la Mayenne, de la Sarthe et de la Vendée.
The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Center for Scientific Research) is a public organization under the responsibility of the French Ministry of Education and Research.
The University of Nantes (French: Université de Nantes) is a French university, located in the city of Nantes. In addition to the several campuses scattered in the city of Nantes, there are two satellite campuses located respectively in Saint-Nazaire and La Roche-sur-Yon. Currently, the University is attended by approximately 34,500 students. More than 10% of them are international students coming from 110 countries.
