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European aerospace industry: research and development are critical to success

The European Commission has just singled out aeronautics as the showcase for the European Research Area. It is hardly surprising that the choice fell on our sector since, compared with other industries in Europe, the aerospace industry spends by far the most on research, technology and development (RT&D) and we are truly a European industry. Cross-border collaboration has been a standard mode of operation for us Europeans for many years. Moreover, aerospace stands for strong and sustained growth over long periods.

The initiative by EU Commissioner Philippe Busquin to develop a European Research Area will exercise a material influence on European research and development policy over the next few years if not decades. The objectives are ambitious: the European aerospace industry is not only to satisfy exacting social aspirations (for example, in the matters of environmental conservation and air safety), but by the year 2020 it is to overtake the USA as Number One in world-wide competition.

Research funding is essential

Expenditure on research and development (R&D) is significantly lower in Europe than in the USA. Moreover it is dispersed over numerous national programmes and research establishments. In recent years the gap has widened continuously. In 1999 the European aerospace industry spent around 9.5 billion Euro on R&D - more than half of it funded from its own resources. By contrast, the US industry spends an average of around15 billion euro per year on R&D. Two-thirds of this comes from the US government. On top of this, according to a study by AECMA in 1999, additional amounts estimated at 9 billion euro flow into research establishments and agencies like NASA.

The AECMA study demonstrated that all in all the support which the US aerospace industry receives from the American government is about three times as great as the support enjoyed by European industry from national governments and the EU combined.

We therefore give the 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technology, which at the same time could be a first major step in the direction of establishing the European Research Area, our full support. The European Commission has just published its first draft of this. Conceptually it moves in the right direction by classifying aeronautics and space as among the "priority thematic areas of research." Qualitatively, however, it remains far short of what is necessary. The proposed amount of funding for aeronautics and space is only one billion Euro, only marginally more than was assigned in the 5th Framework Programme.

If we wish in the long-term to develop a European Research Area on whose outstanding achievements we can rely in the tough global competition and which will contribute significantly towards making our industry Number One in the world, then EU funding must be significantly higher.

Preliminary estimates suggest that in the 6th Framework Programme the aerospace industry will require around 2.2 billion Euro if major progress is to be possible in the coming years. 1.3 billion euro of this alone needs to flow into aviation, 450 million into space and 450 million into air traffic control. Now that the first draft has been prepared, the European Parliament and the European Council will have until the end of the year to determine the final budget.

No Europe-USA polarisation

When we speak of a drastic increase in European research funding, we are not talking about establishing a European force whose purpose is to oppose the American industry. On the contrary, we are fully committed to transatlantic co-operation, which today constitutes an important element in our global business policy. The leading companies in the aerospace industry of Europe are expanding their partnerships with US companies. Transatlantic teams are becoming increasingly important in the global competition.

For over a year now we have pursued a policy of actively intensifying and deepening our contacts with the American Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) through regular exchanges. An increase in research funds on the part of the EU will simply help us to achieve greater equality of opportunities in the world competition and to remain an attractive partner to American companies.

The size of today's aerospace projects is another reason why a European Research Area is important for the future of our industry. The Airbus aircraft, the Ariane family and the Eurofighter are examples of first-rate products developed by European industry. But without close cross-border co-operation, they would have been impossible to implement; no single company or single country could implement programmes of this scale alone. The A380, the biggest passenger aircraft of all time, is only one example of the dimension and technical complexity of the products which will determine the future market.

There is no doubt that the competitive strength of our industry depends on the quality of our R&D. If, therefore, we are to sustain our success on the world market in the future, a simple linear increase in R&D funding and a continuation of present research programmes are not enough. What is needed are well co-ordinated and efficient transnational programmes that enjoy a reasonable level of funding from the EU and the national governments.

A European Vision for 2020

Commissioner Busquin launched the initiative for a European Research Area in 2000. We will do our utmost to support it. For we are not talking here merely of an industrial challenge. It is also a matter of overcoming the problems which exponential growth in air transport brings in its wake. It is estimated that ariline traffic will increase threefold by the year 2020.

One of the first steps taken by Commissioner Busquin was to assemble a "Group of Eminent Personalities" in order to develop a vision for aviation in the year 2020. For this purpose he called on senior managers and leading representatives from the various sectors of aviation, from industry, airports and the airlines as well as from official bodies and air traffic management. The members of the Group of Eminent Personalities included Manfred Bischoff, Jean-Luc Lagardère, Sir Richard Evans, Alberto Lina, Denis Ranque and Walter Kröll.

The group produced a report that was published at the beginning of this year, entitled "European Aeronautics: A Vision for 2020". This report is concerned with more than just industrial competitiveness. The primary concern is how society's current and future air transport requirements can be addressed.

The following objectives were identified:

• Safety: a five-fold reduction in the number of accidents;
• Environment: halving of aircraft noise, reduction of CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre by 50% (the equivalent of reducing kerosene consumption by half), reduction of NOx emissions by 80%;
• Air transport capacity: an air transport system that enables 16 million flights to be handled per year, with around-the-clock airport operations;
• Transport quality and affordability: more comfort for passengers, 99% of flights on time, continuing reduction in air fares.

The group also defined objectives aimed at securing the Number One position in the world market. Measures identified as necessary include new economic policy framework conditions for cross-border co-operation in industry, better, co-ordinated and hence more effective research and a significant reduction in the time required to develop products to the point where they can be launched on the market.

Thirdly the group demanded a policy which promotes the European aerospace industry more strongly and whose basic regulatory structure better supports it. Two specific recommendations were put forward:
the creation of an Advisory Council for Aerospace Research in Europe
the expansion of different types of co-operation, in particular between national programmes and the EU and also via transnational partnerships

How does one translate this vision into reality?

From vision to reality is a huge step. The Group of Eminent Personalities did not specify any detailed research agenda. But it recommended as a matter of urgency that all those involved should make a long-term commitment: industry, airlines and airports, air traffic control agencies, governments and regulatory bodies, research establishments and universities should all work closely together with a common purpose aimed at reorganising and strengthening research and development in Europe. This joint endeavour should optimise the research potential of aviation in Europe and implement the concept of a European Research Area for our industry.

But what specific measures are necessary, what new technologies, for example, need to be developed?

AECMA working groups have put together a detailed summary in collaboration with research establishments of the areas in which more R&D is necessary to address the requirements of rising air traffic today and tomorrow. In the paper published by AECMA, "ARTE 21 - Aeronautics Research and Technology for Europe in the 21st Century", guidelines are proposed for future R&D work.

Starting from the four key aspects mentioned above (safety, environment, air transport capacity, transport quality/affordability), ARTE 21 defines target concepts which identify an R&D requirement in around 100 areas. These cover both basic and applied research. The target concepts identified include the aerodynamically efficient aircraft, the hydrogen aircraft, air traffic control of the future, airports of the future, new concepts for maintenance, optimised and clean engines, new rotorcraft technology for regional air transport, the supersonic business jet, unmanned air vehicles and microsystems technology.

AECMA has identified significant aspects which will influence the implementation of the European Research Area. Centres of excellence have already been established by industry (e.g. by Airbus, Astrium and Eurocopter) and have been extended to national research establishments. This networking must be expanded in a manner which permits EU participation. To co-ordinate the research, there is a need for a well-performing networking tool which includes uniform data formats, terminology and working methods. The transnational industry of today requires a high degree of mobility from its workforce. High commitment on the part of the EU is desirable in order to familiarise students with this industrial environment early on.

The European research network must be expanded to include EU accession countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland and Rumania, whose aerospace industries are keen to establish links with those of Western Europe. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute an important part of our industry and are a significant source of competitiveness. They must therefore be integrated more strongly into European research programmes (the AeroSME project is a good example of SME support). The transnational structure of our industry does ultimately also have to be reflected in management of the research programmes. This can, for example, be achieved through a European research forum, which includes the EU and also the Member States, and which regularly reviews the strategic research agenda.

First specific steps with ACARE

The 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technology offers Europe the opportunity to make significant progress in the direction of Vision 2020. As already mentioned, in our view the first draft was disappointing. Only if the budget currently proposed is significantly increased can a solid foundation stone be laid for Vision 2020.

The first meeting of the Advisory Council for Aerospace Research in Europe (ACARE) in June will mark an essential step forward. This body, which the European Commission is setting up on the recommendation of the Group of Eminent Personalities, will be formed from 10 industry representatives plus a further 18 representatives from other areas of aviation. Its task is to set up and implement a strategic research agenda. In this way it will not be long before Vision 2020 is influencing a large proportion of the research programmes in Europe, especially national and EU programmes.

From page 42 of FLUG REVUE 7/2001