About me
Dr.-Ing. Michael Walter - Hydrogen. For 25 Years. By Conviction.
My story with hydrogen begins with my doctoral dissertation at the University of Duisburg-Essen – on hydrogen purification via pressure swing adsorption. What started as academic curiosity became a lifelong professional practice: more than 25 years working in the hydrogen sector – at the plant, in the lab, in international project consortia, and in European funding policy.
My path:
At HyGear B.V. in Arnhem, I spent eleven years as a technical project manager – responsible for more than 23 international R&D projects across the full H₂ value chain. Project budgets up to €9.3 million. Consortia from eight countries. Delivery under pressure.
From 2016 to 2025, I worked at DVGW e.V. in Bonn – most recently as R&D Manager of the Hydrogen Innovation Programme. In that role, I represented DVGW at Hydrogen Europe Research and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership of the European Commission. I know the European funding landscape from the inside: its logic, its requirements, its pitfalls.
Since 2025, I run WHySE independently – because I’m doing exactly what I do best: leading projects, creating structures, taking responsibility.
Areas of expertise
- Hydrogen strategy, projects and technology
- EU funding landscape and project logic – in particular the Clean Hydrogen Partnership (since 2008, formerly the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking)
- Sustainability management, decarbonisation and environmental management (TÜV-certified: ISO 14001, EMAS III, ESG, CSRD, VSME)
- Consortium leadership, interim project management and PMO
- Stakeholder management at political and industrial level
In 2026, I founded WHySE – Walter Hydrogen Strategy & Sustainability Advisory – to put my knowledge and experience to work for SMEs, municipalities and research institutions seeking to enter the hydrogen economy or expand their hydrogen activities.
WHySE (pronounced wy-zuh, for German word “weise”) stands for “wise” – and that is precisely my aspiration: to advise with substance, independence and foresight. Based in Bonn with a strong European network, WHySE is your reliable partner for H₂ strategy, project governance and sustainability.
And who am I beyond the projects?
I’m passionate about cooking – but not the kind of quick meals you make from a packet or on a baking tray. I’m fascinated by slow food and soul food: dishes that take time to prepare, were cooked by our grandmothers, tell stories and bring people together. That’s exactly how I travel: not with a travel brochure in hand, but with my eyes wide open and a genuine interest in people, cultures and places off the beaten track.
And then there’s Ikigai – the Japanese philosophy of the ‘reason for getting up in the morning’, the meaning of life. For me, this isn’t a trend or some sort of Venn diagram-style optimization, but rather an inner attitude: the question of what I’m really good at, where I draw my inner strength from, what the world needs, what fulfils me – and how it all comes together. I bring this depth to my work as well.
Dr.-Ing. Michael Walter
founder & owner of WHySE