United Kingdom’s Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has announced over £100 million ($129 million) in government-industry funding for advanced aerospace technology projects to support greener air travel.
Nearly £103 million ($133 million), delivered through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme, has been allocated to five R&D projects led by GKN Aerospace, Queens University, Rolls-Royce, Short Brothers, and ZeroAvia. The ATI Programme, a joint government and industry investment, aims to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace and accelerate the transition to net zero aviation.
The funded projects will pioneer innovations such as zero-emission hydrogen-powered flight, new sustainable propulsion systems, and turbine technologies, creating thousands of high-skilled aerospace jobs across the UK and attracting investment into the UK’s aerospace industry as the Government prepares to launch its new Industrial Strategy.
The Hot Section Lifting and Materials (HOTLINE) project led by Rolls-Royce, with partners Cranfield University and the University of Birmingham, will develop turbine technologies to reduce unit and life cycle.
Advanced Fuel Cell for Aviation Decarbonisation (AFCAD) will build on ZeroAvia’s Hyflyer I and II projects and commercialise high-temperature fuel cell stack technology for zero-emission hydrogen flight, applicable to rotorcraft and eVTOL.
The project Scenic Composites led by Queens University Belfast, this project will develop high-value testing and manufacturing equipment at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) to build aerospace capability in the Belfast region around composite materials.
Through the IVI project, Short Brothers will reduce material usage and increase fuel efficiency for various aircraft platforms, enabling the transition to new sustainable propulsion technologies.
H2FlyGHT led by GKN Aerospace and a UK-based consortium of major aerospace suppliers and academic partners, including Parker-Meggitt Aerospace and the universities of Nottingham and Manchester, this project aims to develop and test a fully integrated liquid hydrogen fuel system and 2-megawatt cryogenic electrical propulsion system for the next generation of zero-emission aircraft.
Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said, “Our world-class aerospace sector added almost £40 billion to the economy last year, and by backing it to pioneer cutting-edge new technologies we’re delivering economic growth and supporting high-skilled jobs in every part of the UK.”