L AIR LIQUIDE SA

Their core work

Air Liquide is a global industrial gas company headquartered in Paris, and one of the world's largest suppliers of hydrogen, oxygen, and other industrial gases. In H2020, they contribute deep expertise in hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and safety — spanning cryogenic liquid hydrogen, high-pressure composite tanks, refuelling infrastructure, and electrolysis technologies. Their role across projects reflects their position as a major industrial player bringing real-world hydrogen infrastructure knowledge to research consortia, from warehouse-scale cryogenic energy storage to heavy-duty vehicle refuelling protocols.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Air Liquide's early H2020 work (2016–2018) centred on foundational hydrogen technologies: cryogenic energy storage, liquid hydrogen safety research, and computational design for energy conversion. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward hydrogen deployment infrastructure — refuelling protocols for heavy-duty vehicles, multi-fuel stations, emergency responder training, and electrolyser development. This evolution mirrors the broader European hydrogen economy moving from laboratory research to real-world rollout and standardisation.

Air Liquide is moving from hydrogen R&D toward operational deployment — expect future work on refuelling networks, safety standards, and green hydrogen production at scale.

How they like to work

Air Liquide never coordinates H2020 projects — they participate as an industrial partner or third party, contributing real-world infrastructure expertise and testing capabilities to research-led consortia. With 96 unique partners across 19 countries, they operate as a widely-connected hub rather than a loyal repeat-partner organisation. This pattern is typical of a large industrial company that selectively joins projects where its hydrogen infrastructure knowledge adds direct practical value.

Extensive European network of 96 unique consortium partners across 19 countries, reflecting Air Liquide's global operations and the pan-European nature of hydrogen infrastructure development. Their partnerships span universities, research institutes, and other industrial players across the hydrogen value chain.

What sets them apart

Air Liquide brings something most research partners cannot: operational experience running hydrogen infrastructure at industrial scale. While universities and SMEs contribute scientific advances, Air Liquide validates these against the realities of large-scale gas production, distribution, and safety. For any consortium working on hydrogen deployment, storage, or refuelling, they offer an irreplaceable bridge between laboratory results and commercial-scale implementation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CryoHub
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 591K) — an innovative concept combining cryogenic energy storage with cold logistics at refrigerated warehouses.
• MultHyFuel
  Multi-fuel hydrogen refuelling station study combining risk assessment, cross-country regulatory analysis, and practical experimentation — directly addresses market deployment barriers.
• HEAVEN
  Applied liquid hydrogen and fuel cell technology to aviation — a high-ambition project positioning hydrogen beyond road transport into passenger aircraft.