The third consortium meeting of the RESCUE project took place on 23–24 June 2026 in Oldenburg, Germany, hosted by German Aerospace Center (DLR). Representatives from all project partners – ADVENT, CERTH, DTU, THW, PROACT, and DLR – came together to review the project’s progress, discuss ongoing activities, and coordinate the next steps.

A particular highlight of this meeting was the participation of the RESCUE Advisory Board. Representatives from BBK, IdF NRW, OOWV, Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe and ISAR Germany joined the consortium, bringing valuable operational expertise and practical perspectives to the project.

During the meeting, the consortium reviewed the progress achieved across the different work packages and presented the latest technical developments. ADVENT introduced the general design of the HT-PEM fuel cell system, while DTU presented recent work on modelled heat integration concepts for hot water production. PROACT reported on the development of the project’s safety plan, including the completion of HAZID and HAZOP analyses, providing an important basis for the safe design and operation of the demonstrator. THW presented the transport concept for the mobile system.

The two-day project meeting also provided an excellent opportunity for an intensive exchange between the project consortium and the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board members introduced their organisations and presented a range of real-world emergency response scenarios in which resilient and mobile power supply solutions are essential. These presentations formed the basis for discussions on the operational needs and technical requirements of a mobile dual-fuel HT-PEM fuel cell system.

The workshop identified several promising application areas for the RESCUE technology. Critical infrastructure operators highlighted the growing need for resilient backup power solutions, particularly for essential services such as water supply and wastewater treatment. Humanitarian and medical response organizations discussed the requirements of deployable medical facilities and temporary operational infrastructure, while civil protection organisations contributed valuable perspectives on the role of sustainable mobile power generation in future emergency response concepts.

Beyond identifying potential application fields, the workshop also explored opportunities for future demonstrations under realistic operational conditions. Existing exercises, training events, and collaborative field tests were identified as valuable environments for evaluating the RESCUE system together with end users and gathering practical operational feedback. These findings will support the selection and development of representative demonstration scenarios for our field tests.

The Advisory Board actively contributed to the discussions by raising critical questions and sharing practical experience from emergency response operations. Their feedback highlighted important aspects related to system functionality, usability, deployment concepts and safe operation and will directly support the further development of the RESCUE system.

Another highlight of the meeting was a guided tour of DLR’s laboratories, where participants gained insights into the experimental facilities and ongoing research activities supporting the RESCUE project.

We would like to thank all project partners and Advisory Board members for their active participation, valuable contributions, and constructive discussions. The meeting marked another important milestone for the project and reinforced the strong collaboration between research organisations, technology developers, and end users. The knowledge exchanged during the workshop will directly support the next stages of the RESCUE project and contribute to the development of innovative, reliable, and user-oriented energy solutions for emergency response applications.