Roundtable: Sustainable Aviation: Proposal for Netherlands-UK Collaboration in Aerospace Technologies

NAG members are invited to a roundtable meeting with the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute*.  The meeting will discuss ambitions for industry in both countries to collaborate in a co-funded aerospace technology programme.  The roundtable is planned for the 17th February 2021.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on aviation. There has been a rapid decrease globally in the demand for flight and a high level of uncertainty remains as to when consumer confidence will return and airlines can increase operations to pre-pandemic levels. The effect has been felt throughout the sector from the airlines, airports, manufacturers, and supply chains.

The pandemic also comes at a time when the sector needs to address large scale sustainability challenges, and develop a path on how to achieve ambitious zero-emission targets. With investment in innovative technologies hindered by companies having to restructure finances to survive the economic downturn, it is now more important than ever for state-backed research to stimulate recovery. The companies that emerge successfully into this new competitive landscape will do so, in part, as a result of the innovation choices made now.

As indicated in the Actieplan Hybride Elektisch Vliegen (AHEV, the roadmap for sustainable aviation in the Netherlands), the Dutch industry wants to contribute to sustainable aviation over the course of the next ten years. The United Kingdom is one of the countries that the NAG sees as particularly promising in these coming developments. We look forward to this programme as a way to further develop the cooperation between the stakeholders in these two countries. This event will be a kick off for the matching of the capability and technological challenges in order to tackle the upcoming developments.

The Netherlands Aerospace Group’s representative in the UK (Martin Farmer) and the Aerospace Technology Institute have been exploring ways to stimulate collaboration between Dutch and UK companies, universities, and research organisations, with the aspiration to establish a funded bilateral competition for innovative aerospace technologies.

The roundtable on the 17th February would have the following objectives:

• To identify and validate the thematic technology areas and markets.
• Gauge appetite amongst industry and wider sector to engage in Netherlands-UK collaborative projects in the near term.
• Kick-off the development of robust business case to request government funding from the Netherlands and UK.

Technology Themes

A list of technology themes identified in recent conversations between the ATI and NAG are included below. These thematic areas are by no means exhaustive and are included to provide context only should they be appropriate to start the conversation at the roundtable:

Advanced aerostructures:

• Materials
• Additive manufacturing
• Manufacturing processes
• Systems engineering

Propulsion and power:

• Electrical systems
• Energy storage
• Hydrogen engines
• Fuel cells
• Sustainable aviation Fuels
• High temperature materials
• Health monitoring

Advanced systems:

• Design and safety
• Modular systems
• Sensors

Future aircraft design and integration

• Electrification
• Energy storage
• Design and analysis

Enabling Technologies

Due to travel restrictions, the roundtable would be held virtually. In order to check the relevance and value of this meeting for your organisation please contact Martin Farmer for further information and agenda details.

*Details about the Aerospace Technology Institute and how it manages the UK’s £3.9 billion government-industry programme can be found at www.ati.org.uk.