Chris Low • 22.02.21 •  2 mins

International collaboration

The latest on our global engagement activities, featuring the Netherlands, Canada, NASA and more.

Last week saw another milestone in the ATI’s international engagement, hosting a roundtable alongside colleagues from the Netherlands Aerospace Group (NAG) bringing together innovators from the UK and Netherlands to explore increased collaboration between the two countries. The event was well attended with 35 industry and academic leaders discussing the key technology priorities for the aerospace sector and where the focus of collaboration should be prioritised.

A key takeaway from the session was the loud message from the sector on the value of government backed support delivered through the ATI Programme. As we are all aware, there are many challenges facing the industry at present, not least the effect Covid-19 is having throughout the sector, impacting airlines, airports, manufacturers, and supply chains alike. The timing of the pandemic has coincided with the sector facing huge pressures to address large scale sustainability challenges, with no clear path on how to achieve ambitious zero-emission targets. Therefore, it is imperative that the research community UK is supported to so it can collaborate with strategic partners globally, in order to build back stronger and take a leading position in existing and emerging markets. Aerospace is a global sector and the ATI is fully committed to helping organisations realise the many benefits of collaborating with partners from other countries including:

  • Enabling UK companies and academia to plug gaps in their own capability by working with partners that possess skills not present in the UK or where it is economically unviable to develop domestically.
  • Gaining access to specialist infrastructure not available in the UK.
  • Secure and grow existing capability through the exchange of knowledge/information.
  • Encouraging inward investment by giving overseas investors greater trust and confidence in the UK industrial and academic base.
  • Gaining access to the supply chains of overseas companies and allowing the UK supply chain greater access to global markets.
  • Spreading costs more widely – R&D carries risk; therefore, it is an advantage to share this whilst also multiplying available resource by pooling funds.

The ATI will continue to work closely with the NAG and industry over the coming months to refine areas for collaboration and develop deeper and meaningful engagement between the UK and Netherlands.

In addition to work alongside the Netherlands, our engagement with Canada continues to progress with plans in place for initiative to support technology development earmarked for later this year. Malcolm Scott joined a panel of industry experts from Canada to discuss sustainable aviation at the CRIAQ RDV forum. This event, hosted by the Quebec regional association, brought together around 700 participants from all levels of industry to explore innovative projects that will transform tomorrow’s air mobility. The ATI’s international team also met with counterparts in NASA to discuss ongoing engagement plans, and efforts are in full swing to organise a roundtable between the UK and Norway focusing on sustainable technologies for the aerospace sector.

Finally, a date to put in your diary is 20th May, where the ATI will be hosting a European information day, joined by colleagues from the European Commission, Clean Aviation JU and industry experts to discuss UK participation in the upcoming European Framework Programme. More information will be available soon.

If you would like to discuss any of the exciting initiatives above, then please do reach out to Scott Pendry or Chris Low via info@ati.org.uk.