The opportunity
Following the delegation visit, Sujy Kim, a Senior Manager in KHNP's Global Hydrogen & Energy Business Section, approached Andrew Aveyard, Business Development Lead for Energy at Edinburgh Innovations, with a request for the creation of an Executive Education Hydrogen Training programme to be hosted in Edinburgh. This training was intended for a group of ten KHNP technical specialists and skilled staff, including Senior Managers, Managers, and Senior Engineers, working in the Hydrogen Business area at KHNP.
To develop and manage this programme effectively and ensure its efficient organisation and project management, Andrew sought the expertise of the University of Edinburgh Business School (UEBS) Executive Education team. He collaborated with Sandy Smith, the Head of Client Development, to further define and organise the detail of the programme.
Our approach
What followed was a period of in-depth consultation with KHNP to fully understand their expectations and desired outcomes for what would turn out to be the first Executive Education programme of its kind to be delivered at the University of Edinburgh, and an exemplar of cross-campus collaboration.
As the brief started to take shape we liaised with faculty members from the School of Geosciences, the School of Engineering and the Business School, and assembled a multi-disciplinary programme delivery team, led by Programme Director Dr Wei Sun from the School of Engineering. Content was then created for a bespoke 3-day hydrogen training programme that harnessed the delivery team’s specialist subject matter knowledge and expertise. The programme was eventually delivered in July 2024 and covered the following key themes and topics across the three days:
- Introduction, background and landscape
- Hydrogen production: Business model / cases in the EU / world
- Hydrogen policy: hydrogen portfolio standards, hydrogen strategy
- Decarbonization incentives (carbon pricing, mandates), regulations by country
- Operating & maintenance issues for hydrogen production plants, global electrolyser outlook, nuclear hydrogen production projects in the UK / US
- R&D: the latest R&D, fuel cells, and trends in hydrogen research
- Utilisation: E-fuel Industry outlook, green steel, and industrial / mobility / heating use
- Economy: assessment / feasibility, development of market from generation and off take to market
- Hydrogen transportation and storage: transportation / storage technology development, transportation / storage cost by type / technology
Programme outcomes
Regarding feedback for the programme, participants were asked to rate their agreement with several statements on a scale where a score of 5 represents complete agreement.
| Statements | Average |
|---|---|
| The programme was well organised | 4.9/5 |
| The programme has enhanced my knowledge and skillset | 4.7/5 |
| The facilities were conducive to my learning | 4.7/5 |
| Overall, I am very satisfied with the quality of the programme | 4.8/5 |
Following the programme, the group spent the rest of their week in Scotland on visits to specific hydrogen-related company sites. These visits were organised by the Scottish Development International Tokyo office, and coordinated on the ground in Scotland by the Head of Trade for the UK Department of Business and Trade in Seoul.
It was a great opportunity to compare the progress of the hydrogen industry in both countries.Sujy Kim, Senior Manager, KHNP Global Hydrogen & Energy Business Section
The programme covered most of the hydrogen sector, so that it was helpful from the perspective of getting an overall overview.
And it provided various insights that we can apply to our work. We learned a variety of topics from the excellent faculty, but what impressed us the most was that, in the UK, academia-industry-research institutions are forming a consensus in alignment with the government's long-term plans. We felt their confidence there, even if progress is slow, they are steadily taking steps towards achieving their goals.
If this programme continues, it would be even better to receive updates on the current progress or advancements in the hydrogen industry and add a few more real-life examples.
The clean hydrogen ecosystem is still in its early stages, but we hope that industry-academia exchanges between both countries, like this programme, can help move it forward.
As Programme Director, I was delighted to contribute to this initiative. Collaborating with a strong line-up of faculty members to share our expertise in hydrogen technology and policy was truly rewarding. The engaging classroom discussions offered valuable insights into the achievements and challenges South Korea and KHNP face in the clean energy sector, fostering meaningful communication.Wei Sun, Chancellor’s Fellow at the Institute for Energy Systems – Programme Director
The KHNP participants impressed me with their exceptional technical knowledge, passion for clean energy, and collaborative spirit, which greatly enriched our sessions and demonstrated their commitment to advancing their expertise.
Although the schedule was intense, the experience was seamless and highly rewarding, thanks to the excellent organisation by the University of Edinburgh Business School Executive Education team. I look forward to building on this foundation for future collaborations, furthering our shared goals in the clean energy transition between Edinburgh and Korea.