Strong partners for aerospace research: the Innovation Park Zurich is pooling expertise in aviation and space with the participation of the University of St.Gallen

With the newly founded Starlab Space, the Zurich Innovation Park has gained an important new partner. On 9 December 2024, the joint venture between Airbus, Voyager Space, Mitsubishi Corporation and MDA Space signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Zurich Innovation Park Foundation and the newly established Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein in Zurich. The aim is to establish Zurich as a European hub for the global space industry. 

The Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein was established as a federally supervised foundation. HSG aviation expert Andreas Wittmer heads the Center's board of directors together with UZH Space Hub Director Oliver Ullrich from the University of Zurich. Christian A. Hildebrand, another researcher from the University of St.Gallen, is a member of the Center's board of trustees. “We are looking forward to working with partners from industry, such as Airbus,” says Andreas Wittmer, who conducts research in aviation and aerospace management in St.Gallen. He adds: “We want to make the findings from aviation and aerospace research more useful for society. At the same time, we want to establish our region, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as a global knowledge base for the space industry.” 

A hub for the New Space economy in Europe

The centre brings together various organisations from German-speaking Switzerland and Liechtenstein that are active in research, education and the aerospace industry. It focuses particularly on the New Space economy in low Earth orbit. The successful industrial development of low Earth orbit requires sufficient production and transport capacities at economically reasonable prices and an efficient transfer of knowledge from research institutions to practical applications. 

Specifically, the centre brings together the following aerospace sectors: 

• Innovation Cluster Space and Aviation at the University of Zurich (UZH Space Hub)
• Center for Aviation and Space Competence at the University of St.Gallen (CFAC-HSG)
• National Center for Biomedical Research in Space at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (NCBRS-HSLU)
• Swiss SkyLab Foundation as a civil research flight facility at Dübendorf airfield
• Aeromedical Institute of the Swiss Air Force (FAI)
• Office for Communication of the Principality of Liechtenstein
• Private University in the Principality of Liechtenstein (UFL)

Space Valley Switzerland and Liechtenstein

The Canton of Zurich and the Greater Zurich Area GZA, with their globally active companies, leading start-ups and the two top-ranked universities ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, both of which are also long-standing partners of the Innovation Park Zurich, form a strong economic area in Europe. Starlab and the newly established Center for Space and Aviation will make the Innovation Park Zurich, the Canton of Zurich and the entire region a hub for the New Space Economy in Europe, with access to exponentially growing markets. 

The collaboration will make the greater Zurich area the European location of the global Starlab network, with industry and research partners. Another location is the George Washington Carver Science Park in Ohio, USA, and other locations, for example in Japan and Germany, are currently being prepared. The “Space Valley Switzerland and Liechtenstein” will, among other things, work on specialist topics such as “Payload Operations & Control”. Furthermore, projects are planned that incorporate findings from biotechnology, biomedicine and pharmaceuticals for low-earth orbit research.

Further information at: starlab-space.com

Image: Adobe Stock / Science RF