New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) organised a one-day Hydrogen Startup Exhibition on Wednesday to promote the growing hydrogen startup ecosystem in the country.

According to the government, the exhibition brought together 18 startups working across various segments of the green hydrogen value chain, including electrolyser technologies, fuel cell applications, biomass-to-hydrogen production and digital solutions for hydrogen systems.

The participating startups showcased their technologies and interacted with stakeholders from government, industry and the research community, it said.

According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), 249 startups were operating in the hydrogen sector as of September 2025.

The exhibition featured startups across multiple categories, including electrolyser technologies, hydrogen production, fuel cells, hydrogen-based applications, safety systems, drone technologies, hydrogen cooking solutions, artificial intelligence and bio-hydrogen.

Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government, attended the event and interacted with startup founders.

The MNRE had launched a scheme for New and Novel Uses of Hydrogen Production and Applications last year, under which Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for startup funding for pilot projects, with a maximum grant of Rs 5 crore per startup.

Following the scheme, the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) issued a call for proposals in September 2025, receiving 111 applications. Of these, 58 startups were shortlisted for presentation before the Project Appraisal Committee earlier this year, with results expected in the coming weeks.

The ministry had earlier organised a similar startup expo during an R&D conference in September last year in New Delhi, which saw participation from over 25 startups. The current exhibition is a follow-up to that initiative.

Other dignitaries also present included Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary, MNRE, Parminder Maini, Scientific Secretary in the PSA Office, and Abhay Bakre, Director, National Green Hydrogen Mission.

–IANS

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