A £4m technology hub to create green energy which can be used to power up everything from future cars and homes has been launched at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre will house the latest equipment for SMEs to develop hydrogen fuel cells - a form of green and emission free energy created by mixing hydrogen with oxygen.

The Centre has been awarded £1.6m from the European Regional Development Fund for state-of- the art equipment currently unavailable to the city’s buoyant low-carbon SME sector.

The University will fund the remaining cost.

The hub will produce advanced materials for fuel cells and next generation energy storage, utilising nanomaterials and 3D printing for example, and plan hydrogen and fuel cell infrastructure for the region.

It will speed up the research and development of the high-tech fuel cells – which convert hydrogen into water and oxygen to produce electricity – to accelerate testing, prototyping, scale-up for industry and create routes to market.

MFCIC builds on the establishment of the Greater Manchester Hydrogen Partnership (GMHP), which Manchester Metropolitan launched in 2013 as a venture between academia, industry and government.

It will also draw on expertise in the University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering and the SME-focused Centre for Enterprise.

Dr David Lambrick, interim pro-vice chancellor for the Faculty of Science and Engineering, said: “This is truly a ground-breaking initiative to drive forward innovation in our SMEs, develop emission-free energy and firmly position Manchester as a worldwide centre of excellence in fuel cells.

“The big challenge for the 21 st century is how we create a sustainable future while meeting demand for energy, which will only continue to rise in the coming years.”

He added: “Fuel cells are a fundamental part of the hydrogen economy and what we have at Manchester Metropolitan is the expertise in advanced materials, nanotechnology, smart grid technology and business development.

“We now have the MFCIC to break down the barriers for hydrogen-focused SMEs to access the technology to make the next generation of fuel cells to become a reality.”

It is a key market that will help transform Manchester into a global fuel cell leader. Currently, 2,043 companies provide low-carbon environmental goods and services in Greater Manchester, employing 38,000 people.

The global fuel cell market is projected to grow by 10 per cent over the next eight years.

There are key government-backed hydrogen fuel cell projects in the UK, Japan, USA and Germany and major car manufacturers continue to refine new models of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Initially, the Centre will work with 50 Manchester-based SMEs over a three-year period.