Mare Group S.p.A., an engineering company listed on Euronext Growth Milan and active in Italy and abroad in innovation through enabling technologies, announces that the European Commission has approved the CRYOSTAR project under the Horizon Europe – Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking program.

The project, which obtained an evaluation of excellence, will last 24 months and is aimed at developing an innovative certification methodology for cryogenic tanks for liquid hydrogen intended for future-generation commercial aircraft.

CRYOSTAR is an ambitious Research & Innovation Action (RIA) that addresses one of the main issues in the energy transition of aerospace: the safe storage of liquid hydrogen on board. The activities amount to 5,059,181.75 euros, entirely financed as non-repayable grants, with a share of 726,875 euros for Mare Group, 50% of which is expected in advance by 2025. The objective is the integration of innovative tanks in the rear fuselage of CS-25 aircraft to ensure sealing, impact resistance and compliance with future regulatory requirements.

Mare Group is one of the main industrial partners of the project and will be responsible for the development and validation of structural systems and containment devices capable of absorbing shock loads and preserving the integrity of the tank in emergency scenarios, through full-scale tests, advanced numerical simulations and direct interaction with international aviation authorities.

The CRYOSTAR consortium involves 5 universities and research centers and 8 technology-intensive companies, in a multidisciplinary collaboration that integrates engineering, academic and regulatory expertise at continental level.

Antonio Maria Zinno, CEO of Mare Group, said: “Working on standards and technologies that enable the adoption of hydrogen in a strategic sector such as aviation strengthens Europe’s technological autonomy in a highly complex field. It is a path that Mare Group pursues through the development of mission-critical projects and active participation in the main innovation chains at European level”

Luigi Di Palma, General Manager, commented: “The adoption of hydrogen in aeronautics is generating a growing demand for highly engineered solutions and large-scale integration skills. Mare Group, thanks to recent acquisitions, has strengthened its design and production capabilities, positioning itself as a reference partner for the main industrial players called upon to lead this transformation. The skills and technologies developed in this field are destined to have repercussions

also in other sectors that face similar challenges in terms of safety, efficiency and energy transition.”

The project is part of Mare Group's strategic plan aimed at developing advanced technologies in the infrastructure and aerospace sectors, strengthening the Group's role in the main European innovation programs.

In addition to Mare Group, the Italian partners are: Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Aero Sekur S.p.A., Airizon S.r.l., Dream Innovation S.r.l. and Novotech Aerospace Advanced Technology S.r.l. The international component of the partnership is represented by Cranfield University (UK), IBK-Innovation GmbH & Co. KG (DE), Siec Badawcza Lukasiewicz-Instytut Lotnictwa [ILOT] (PL), Sintef Energi AS (NO), Technische Universiteit Delft, and Stichting Koninklijk Nederlands Lucht-en Ruimtevaartcentrum [NLR] and Fokker Next Gen N.V. (NL).