Aviation industry rallies behind cleantech partnership as Commission prepares rationalisation

The aviation industry has voiced its clear support for the Clean Aviation joint undertaking (JU), one of the EU R&D partnerships facing rationalisation under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) period, beginning in 2028.

European Commission officials have previously hinted that partnerships will play an important role in the next research and innovation Framework Programme, FP10. But their exact form is uncertain as the EU executive weighs up the possibility of integrating parts of the programme into the new European Competitiveness Fund.

It is also likely the number of partnerships will be reduced in the next long-term budget period in an attempt to simplify and streamline funding instruments.

Industry representatives used the annual forum of the Clean Aviation JU, held in Brussels on March 18, to urge the Commission to recognise the industry’s specificity. 

Aviation is one of the key sectors where Europe remains competitive, but companies are facing major challenges in order to maintain a leadership role while radically reducing their environmental footprint.

“Maintaining a European research Framework Programme, and a research programme dedicated to aviation, is crucial to maintaining our technological leadership,” said Olivier Andriès, chief executive of French aerospace company Safran.

He gave the example of electric aircraft engines, which must meet stringent safety standards to receive certification. “A battery that is used for the automotive industry is absolutely not identical to the battery that will be fit for the aerospace industry,” he said.

Andriès said he was “surprised and concerned” not to see the word aerospace mentioned in the Clean Industrial Deal presented earlier this month. Aviation will however be included in the forthcoming Sustainable Transport Investment Plan.

Christian Ehler, an influential member of the European Parliament’s research committee, also backed work of the partnership. “We need consistency, we need reliability, and we’re going to fight for a higher budget for the joint undertaking,” he told the meeting. “A dedicated funding programme for civilian aviation in the next MFF is vital,” he added.

Ehler also called for greater efficiency in EU spending. “Aviation research and innovation efforts should be combined under a single EU aviation programme, enabling industry, research organisations, universities, SMEs, start-ups and regulators to collaborate,” he said.

The German MEP authored a report on the next Framework Programme, which Parliament adopted last week. The MEPs backed Pillar 2 of the programme, dedicated to global challenges and industrial competitiveness, as a “vital strategic tool” and urged continued support for partnerships, while acknowledging the need for simplification.

Aviation research strategy

Ekaterina Zaharieva, the commissioner responsible for research, was also present at the meeting and made reassuring noises. She said the EU needs a common strategic research and innovation agenda for the aviation sector, bringing together member states and industry, and covering the entire innovation chain. “This is why partnerships are crucial,” she said.

The Clean Aviation JU and the SESAR JU, which supports the digitisation of air traffic management in Europe, are working together with the aviation community to develop a joint aviation research and innovation strategy. The initiative has the backing of the Commission and they hope to hand it over officially at the Paris Air Show in June.

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Zaharieva also said that addressing the fragmentation of the single market and cutting red tape will be crucial. The Horizon Europe work programme for 2025 would be “the shortest and least prescriptive” so far, and simplification efforts would be taken even further in the 2026-27 work programmes, she said.

While there was agreement on the specific nature of the aeronautics industry, speakers talked up the benefits of dual-use technologies with both civil and defence applications.

“If we look at commercial aviation, we see that a lot of the civilian activities have been pushed by technologies which came from the military side,” said Sabine Klauke, chief technology officer at Airbus, citing GPS as an example. But it’s also important to ensure innovations travel in the other direction, with civil developments like artificial intelligence and sustainable aviation fuels holding potential for militaries, Klauke said.

The Commission is currently studying various options for supporting dual use in the next MFF. Joanna Drake, deputy director-general for research and innovation, believes this will be “one of the key components of retaining a competitive edge,” as it can leverage innovation and cost savings.

“In navigation, propulsion and also materials science there will be, I think, also the possibility of cross-fertilisation, and maybe rapid adoption of cutting-edge technologies,” she said.