ZAL GmbH

The ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research is one of the world’s leading research and development platforms for civil aviation. Based on the principle of Open Innovation, over 30 partner institutions from industry and science work together on the technologies of tomorrow, actively driving trends such as intelligent cabins, acoustics, automation, and hydrogen applications.

For the regional aviation sector, ZAL offers three core services: firstly, the opportunity to rent state-of-the-art research spaces, including halls, laboratories, and offices; secondly, access to the interdisciplinary expertise of ZAL specialists within the framework of research projects and industry contracts. Complementing this offering is a wide range of event formats designed to foster professional exchange and networking.

Since 2025, ZAL has also been the home of the Hanseatic Hydrogen Center for Aviation and Maritime (H₂AM), which aims to advance hydrogen and fuel cell research for the aviation and maritime industries. As part of this initiative, ZAL is expanding its hydrogen infrastructure. Plans include the installation of a hydrogen liquefier and the construction of two test chambers: one for altitude simulation and another for cryogenic applications with liquid hydrogen at -253 °C.

Through these investments, ZAL is making a key contribution to the provision of infrastructure for the testing and certification of hydrogen technologies, supporting international collaboration in setting new standards. The offering is aimed at start-ups, SMEs, as well as industry and research partners, providing them with an ideal environment to develop innovations for the global market and jointly advance the decarbonization of aviation and maritime sectors.