Ours is a field in transition. On the one hand, several automakers are preparing to field substantial numbers of cars starting in a few years and appear committed for the long term. By and large, ‘first generation’ PEM fuel cell designs are essentially mature, with most major technical hurdles, except cost, under control. On the other hand, there is no denying that a political headwind faces our field, at least in the US. The fuel cell field has enjoyed a development path that is uniquely grounded in scientific advances. Breakthrough after breakthrough has emerged from the close collaboration of scientists and technologists. This is quite different from the more empirical path that seems typical, for example, of the battery field. In this context, we are developing a program for the GRC that considers what comes next for fuel cells and related technologies. We focus on the limits of present technology, asking how and what science might circumvent those limits. We will also explore those related areas in which the extensive science developed during the roughly 20 years of rapid progress on fuel cells might be fruitfully leveraged. The latter includes technologies of tangential overlap such as air electrodes for other applications, flow batteries, microbial fuel cells and so on. We also want to consider the larger context of hydrogen-based systems. Above all, we seek to return the GRC to the predominantly scientific flavor that is the particular hallmark of the ‘GRC’ brand.