The Hague, December 7, 2021
Today the ECCM committee – represented by Richard van de Sanden and Klaas Jan Schouten – presented its advice to DG Focco Vijselaar of EZK and top sector figureheads Marc Hendrikse (HTSM), Peter Molengraaf (successor Energy) and Jacqueline Vaessen (Chemistry).
The national advisory committee for ElectroChemical Conversion & Materials, ECCM, advises the government in the field of R&D&I to realize the transition to a CO2-neutral industry, based on the generation, storage and conversion of renewable energy and electricity. Important topics are green hydrogen, innovative electrochemical conversion and system integration.
Over the past four years, the ECCM committee has succeeded in putting this theme on the map in a coherent and cross-sectoral way. The committee has managed to mobilize the necessary long-term public and private investment and is highly appreciated for the central coordinating role it has taken on. “Since the publication of the ECCM advisory report in 2017, the innovation landscape for ECCM has changed considerably,” says committee chair Van De Sanden. "The urgency of ECCM is now supported by ambitious climate plans, the knowledge base in the Netherlands has been significantly strengthened, a good knowledge network has been created and significant investments from government and industry are on the way." That is why the committee has issued a new advice that can serve as a guideline for new large-scale R&D&I programs that will be launched in the coming years.
Four lines of action
The new ECCM National Agenda is based on an integrated vision of social, economic and technological developments for the Netherlands towards 2030 and 2050.
The committee structures its recommendations in the ECCM National Agenda along four closely intertwined lines of action:
- Demonstration projects for green hydrogen – to achieve the 2030 targets
- Next-generation electrical conversion – to meet the 2050 targets
- Collaboration with the manufacturing industry – to build a green economy in the Netherlands
- Developing an ECCM human capital – to accelerate the implementation of innovation
and emphasizes that all four lines of action must now be launched in order to achieve the ambitions.
The Netherlands has a high concentration of energy-intensive industry clusters, and is therefore an excellent candidate for developing new climate-neutral technologies. DG Vijselaar of the Ministry of Economic Affairs: “To keep our industry thriving, we must connect economic opportunities with a future CO2-neutral society. For this we need to transform the current industry and build a new industry.”
Finally, committee member Schouten observes: “This is a major technological and social task that can only succeed if it is accompanied by the education and training of an ECCM working capital that can meet the new challenges of a green economy.”
More information
For questions, please contact Sofia Derossi (ECCM Secretariat) at secretariaat@eccm-mail.nl.
Download the ECCM National Agenda
