CATEGORY 4
WILD CARD
This Wild Card is for the
bold ones!
This pathway baseline, it's up to you!
Develop a bold, creative, future-oriented hydrogen concept or case that could realistically contribute to Belgium’s hydrogen pathway by 2030–2050. Anything goes—as long as it connects to Belgian strengths, challenges, or opportunities.
Think about...
​​
- ports
- mobility
- chemicals
- steel
- logistics
- offshore energy
- innovation hubs
- cross-border links
- ... (or anything else, really)
​​
Pathway and baseline
​​​
Do you see a perspective that goes beyond the proposed pathways, or have a strong intuition or alternative approach for how hydrogen could shape Belgium’s future which does not fit in the other categories?
This card is for you.
In this scenario you are invited to develop your own hydrogen pathway, bringing evidence and rationale to show how your solution fits within the shared framework, so it can be assessed and compared alongside the other scenarios.
​
You may:
-
Propose a new challenge or opportunity related to hydrogen and invite other to join your team.
-
Apply as a full team with a well-defined concept already in mind. While the topic is open, your scenario must still be developed using the common framework, ensuring clarity, rigor and comparability across all pathways.
​
Note: we strongly recommend that participants selecting the Wild Card have a well-defined baseline for the pathway they intend to propose (see those of the other topics as an example "How might Belgium..."). This baseline is essential for developing a clear problem framing, a coherent solution and supporting evidence that makes the pathway attractive for other participants to join during the team formation period. It will also enable the Wild Card team to effectively generate Deliverable 1 during the warm-up session prior to ideation.
Expected outcome at the end of the Ideathon
​
All teams should develop an idea to address each challenge by considering the following elements. Don’t worry, mentors and experts will guide you to meet these criteria!
​
-
Feasibility: Technical readiness, major gaps, regulatory/permitting hurdles.
-
Impact: Economic potential (cost/revenue), environmental benefits, and contribution to Belgian hydrogen goals.
-
Adoption & Acceptance: Market fit, customer need, social acceptance, behavioural or incentive requirements.
-
Scalability: Pathway from pilot to deployment, timeline realism, key risks, and required partnerships.
-
Enablers: Data needs, KPIs, and skills/workforce requirements to make the pathway viable.
​​​
