The UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) will begin accepting new applications on April 4 for a share of £685 million ($900 million) of "green" funding over the next three years, the aerospace technology research group said Tuesday. The ATI will receive the funds from the government for the financial years 2022-2023 through to 2024-2025, representing an increase of £235 million over the previous three-year period. The industry is expected to provide co-funding, taking the total to more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion).
The funding announced on March 29 supports the development of zero-carbon and ultra-low-emission aircraft technology, which the ATI said cements the UK’s place at the forefront of advancing green technology while supporting tens of thousands of jobs.
“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 UK 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.”
The ATI program, which began in 2013, has secured more than 81,000 jobs and added an estimated £97 billion in value to the economy to date. As a result, the program has received an extension to 2031, giving the industry what the institute characterizes as the confidence to continue to co-invest with the government, driving growth, jobs, and innovation and reducing aviation emissions.
The ATI program is an important component of the government’s Jet Zero policy to support the deployment and commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel plants in the UK. The government plans to publish a final Jet Zero strategy this summer.
“It is great to see new funding to support the development of new aerospace technology,” said UK aviation minister Robert Courts. “This funding, in addition to £180 million of government funding already announced to support the UK sustainable aviation fuels, demonstrates how we are supporting our aviation sector to decarbonize whilst maintaining its critical role in connecting people.”
Previous projects supported by the ATI include Rolls-Royce’s UltraFan engine family and ZeroAvia’s HyFlyer I six-seat hydrogen-electric aircraft. ZeroAvia also received funding for its HyFlyer II project, which involves the conversion of 19-seat Dornier 228 turboprops to hydrogen power.
Other ATI-supported projects include the GKN Aerospace-led H2GEAR (Hybrid Hydrogen & Electric Architecture) program, which aims to develop a liquid hydrogen propulsion system for regional aircraft; the Renishaw-led LAMDA (Large Scale Additive Manufacturing for Defense and Aerospace) project to develop a 3D metal printing machine to build large aerospace components and mass-produce smaller parts; and the Thales-led COREF (Connected Reconfigurable Factory) program centered on creating two open-access, digitally connected innovation laboratories for low-volume, high-complexity manufacturing.
