Brussels, 18/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - On 18 October, the European Commission unveiled the results of the first EU-wide call for research proposals in aeronautics and air transport under the EU Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7). From the 200 proposals received, 36 projects were selected which should bring important advances into greener, safer, more secure air transport, and improved cost efficiency in aeronautics. €217 million is available for this first batch of projects, out of a total of €2.1 billion for aeronautics research in the years 2007-2013.
The 36 selected projects involve innovative research in areas like flight physics and alternative fuels to reduce CO2 emissions; new systems to improve the safety of aircraft in bad weather; advances in 'self repairing' capability for aircraft materials; and blast-proof cabin secondary structures. Competitiveness is also a key preoccupation, with a number of projects specifically targeting production and development costs of airframe, structures, engines and components. The projects include 26 collaborative research projects, 6 coordination and support actions, and 4 large projects aimed at bringing innovative technologies closer to market.
The four largest projects, which will alone receive half of the funding, involve major players in the air transport industry with the dual goal of reinforcing Europe's industrial leadership. They are: DREAM - this project, with 47 partners from 13 countries, is led by Rolls Royce. It will develop new engine concepts based on open contra-rotating rotors, with a target of a 7% reduction in CO2 emissions and 3 decibel reduction in noise. It will also develop specifications for alternative fuels as well as assessing and testing future potential fuels. The project will receive €25 million from the EU budget; MAAXIMUS (around €40m from the EU) - this project, with 58 partners from 18 countries is led by Airbus. It focuses on improving the composition and design of fuselages to cut assembly time in half and reduce structural weight by 10%, with a lighter airframe leading to lower CO2 emissions; HIRF SE (around €18m) - this project gathers 44 partners from 11 countries, with Alenia in the lead. It will create simulators to test new aircrafts' reactions to electromagnetic interference. More research is needed in this field because of the growing use of composite materials in aircraft building; SCARLETT (+/-€23m) - this project, led by Thales, will develop new and advanced modular avionics platforms for a range of aircraft types. (O.L.)