UK announces £685m boost for green aviation
The UK government has pledged £685 million (€810.1 million) in funding to its aerospace technology research programme, the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), to accelerate research and development in green aviation tech.
The ATI will receive £685 million from the government over the next three years, and additional funding will come from the private sector, bringing the total up to £1 billion (€1.18 billion).
The money will be used to "capitalise on the UK’s world-leading R&D system" and be ploughed into the development of zero-carbon and ultra-low-emission aircraft technology, which the government says will "support tens of thousands of jobs".
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Aerospace Technology Institute CEO Gary Elliott welcomed the news, saying it was an investment into the technology needed to bring the sector and country towards its net-zero target of 2050.
Previous funding has gone towards the development of projects such as ZeroAvia's 6-seat hydrogen-electric aircraft, currently the largest craft of its kind in the world, and Rolls-Royce's development of the largest, most efficient aircraft engine in history, the UltraFan.
"Since its formation in 2013, the Aerospace Technology Institute has been an enormous success, already funding world-leading innovations like hydrogen aircraft and 3D printed components," said Industry Minister Lee Rowley.
"These projects are making a real-world impact and could one day help the global aviation industry transition to net zero," he added, describing the pledge as a sign of increasing ambition in the UK which would give "large and small businesses the confidence to invest in the technologies that will bring civil aviation into the next generation".
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It was also confirmed that the ATI Programme, a £3.9 billion joint government and industry investment in aerospace tech, would reopen to new funding applications on April 4.
The Programme is seen as a critical part of the government's green aviation JetZero policy, a final strategy for which is set to be published this summer.
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