Tech innovation partnership for Net Zero aviation launches

A technology innovation partnership for Net Zero aviation in the South West has been launched.

Focused on delivering transformational innovation to advance net zero flight, the founding partners are the National Composites Centre (NCC), advanced propulsion R&I centre IAAPS, and the Universities of Bristol and Bath. The partnership will create a significant national capability that combined far exceeds working independently.

The South West is home to a globally significant aerospace and advanced engineering cluster worth over £7bn. Leveraging over £250m of investment that partners have already secured to underpin technology, infrastructure, and innovation capabilities, the partnership will further embed the region’s research and innovation leadership in the decarbonisation of aviation.

Consultation with industry leading organisations has identified a set of pre-competitive challenge areas that will underpin technology exploration. These range from new cryogenic suitable materials, their characterisation and industrial application, through to the design, manufacture, and testing of sub-systems. These will form the basis of Joint Industry Programmes to be announced later this year.

Together these will help establish a strong H2 supply chain as the Government implements its UK Hydrogen Strategy to kick-start a vibrant hydrogen economy by 2030, and unlock wider opportunities across energy, nuclear, space, and defence industries.

An underpinning theme across the programme is materials innovation, crucial for the aircraft of the future. The NCC’s world leading expertise in high performance composites, combined with the exploration of novel materials initiatives by Bristol Composites Institute and Bristol Innovations, through the University of Bristol, will put the partnership at the forefront of next generation materials. Empowering innovation and boosting regional economies, the renowned academic strengths of the universities of Bristol and Bath in translational research will be the foundation of the rapid development of net zero technologies for the partnership.

Boosted by the innovative research and development advances each organisation has achieved, their combined focus will be on hydrogen fuel systems innovation. The NCC has successfully designed, manufactured, and tested a composite cryogenic storage tank with liquid hydrogen (LH2), and will launch its manufacturing and test facility for hydrogen storage at the end of the year, while IAAPS is leading on strategic ventures to develop hydrogen fuel-cell powered transport, with a key focus on aircraft.

Over £56.5m of industry funding, grant capture as well as training and capability building awards have been invested in pioneering hydrogen-related initiatives at IAAPS and the University of Bath.

Richard Oldfield, chief executive, National Composites Centre, said, “Combining our respective strengths and expertise will catalyse transformative change for net zero aviation in the South West. As a collaboration, our commitment to decarbonising aviation will unlock the full potential of hydrogen-powered aircraft and cutting-edge propulsion systems, enabling industry to accelerate engineering expertise, and secure future UK commercial competitiveness. Together, as pioneers in our fields, we are excited to lead the way.”

www.nccuk.com

www.iaaps.co.uk