ERA Energy Research Accelerator

GeoPura – scaling green hydrogen to replace diesel - A HORN network event
2025-12-18 13:00 - 14:00 (Europe/London) | Virtual event
We’re pleased to welcome Matt Barney, Chief Hydrogen Business Officer at GeoPura, to our December HORN (Hydrogen Outreach and Research Network) meeting.
Matt will introduce GeoPura’s approach to delivering zero-emission temporary and off-grid power using green hydrogen and their 250 kW Hydrogen Power Units (HPUs), which are already replacing diesel generators across construction, events, broadcasting, and infrastructure projects.
GeoPura has secured over £100m of investment to scale production of hydrogen, HPUs and supporting infrastructure. This includes major funding from Siemens Energy, GM Ventures, the UK Infrastructure Bank and Barclays. Their ambition is to deploy around 3,600 HPUs by 2033, eliminating millions of tonnes of CO₂ by shifting away from diesel.
A key part of their expansion is the HyMarnham Power project in the East Midlands – a former coal plant now being developed into a major green-hydrogen hub and backed by UK Government support and a significant green loan facility. GeoPura is also expanding into Europe with new production capacity.
At HORN, Matt will outline what GeoPura does, their latest investments, and how organisations can get involved – from trial deployments to wider partnerships in the growing green-hydrogen supply chain.
Could you benefit from a Green Advantage?
Our second speaker is Christian Byron who will be sharing insights from Aston University’s Green Advantage Programme – a support scheme helping businesses develop practical sustainability skills and deliver low-carbon innovation.
Christian will give an overview of how the programme works, the impact it’s having on SMEs, and how organisations across the Midlands can get involved.
This is a great chance to learn how universities and industry can collaborate to drive real change in business sustainability.
About HyDEX and HORN:
HyDEX (www.hydex.ac.uk) is a Midlands-based programme accelerating the development and deployment of hydrogen technologies through collaborative innovation and skills development.
The Hydrogen Off-Road Network (HORN) is a HyDEX initiative focused on supporting the use of hydrogen in non-road applications, including construction, agriculture, mining, and industrial vehicles and machinery.

AI Ethics for Researchers, 15 January 2026, 12:30-13:30
2026-01-15 12:30 - 13:30 | On-line via Zoom
Join C-DICE and Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) for a focused one-hour session that guides researchers through the practical and ethical use of generative AI in day-to-day work. We look at confidentiality, data protection, academic integrity, bias, transparency and responsible decision making, with real examples from research settings. Participants leave with clear principles, workable guardrails and confident next steps for using AI safely and responsibly in their own projects.
Date and time:
Thursday 15 January 2026, 12:30-13:30, Online via Zoom
Presenter biography:
Dr Naomi Tyrrell is an ICF Accredited Coach and runs Europe’s largest advice network for alternative-to-academic careers. After 18 years in academia, Naomi now runs an evaluation consultancy and training business. She is passionate about helping people and organisations develop their strengths and navigate periods of growth, offering expertise in areas such as programme monitoring, evaluation, organisational development AI training and executive coaching.
How to register:
This event is open to postdocs, final-stage PhDs from UK universities and ERA associated PhD students.
Please register your interest by clicking the Book Online via the C-DICE webpage: AI Ethics for Researchers, 15 January 2026, 12:30-13:30 – C-DICE .
We will contact you by email if we need further information or if we are unable to offer you a place. If your registration is successful, you will receive an Outlook calendar invitation confirming your place at the workshop.

Email: nav.kaya@cranfield.ac.uk
