A prerequisite of any coordinated research activity is a comparison of the current status of research in the countries in question and a means to monitor the progress in particular sectors. Analysis of indicators of research in different countries allows comparison of the research undertaken. This paper compares input and output indicators of public research in hydrogen and fuel cells (H&FC) both within Europe and between Europe and the US, Japan and China. Overall the combined public H&FC research budget for the EU25 countries, associated states and accession countries was is an element of 276M in 2005, slightly higher than in the US, but lower than in Japan. An analysis of research outputs indicates that European competitive advantage is being lost to China and the US. Greater and more effective research coordination as well as more targeted allocation of research funds are proposed as potential solutions. (C) 2007 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.