The Air France-KLM Group becomes a major partner of the TU Delft-France Initiative
At the MRO Europe show (annual exhibition for the aviation maintenance business) held on October 18th and 19th, 2023 at the RAI Amsterdam, Air France-KLM, KLM and Air France have pledged to jointly contribute €150,000 per year over three years to the TU-Delft France Initiative. Launched in April 2023 during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the Netherlands, this initiative aims to bring about innovative solutions to decarbonize the aviation industry.
The endowment will be paid into a fund set up by the university foundation and will finance ambitious collaborative research projects between France and the Netherlands. France's ambassador to the Netherlands, François Alabrune, himself a signatory to the agreement, was on hand to thank the Air France-KLM Group for its support of the initiative.
During Ambassador François Alabrune's visit to MRO Europe, Air France-KLM, Air France and KLM signed a donation agreement to support the TU-Delft France initiative: a recent partnership between the Embassy of France in the Netherlands and the Dutch University, aimed at funding ambitious research projects in the context of both the energy and digital transitions. With its donation of €150,000 per year for three years, the Engineering & Maintenance branch of the Air France-KLM Group wishes to contribute to the development of innovative solutions to move towards sustainable aviation.
"We are enthusiastic and honored to join the TU Delft - France Initiative dedicated to aeronautical engineering. We must prepare the future of aviation by joining this ambitious three-year research and development program. This promising collaboration between our Air France-KLM Group, the French Embassy in the Netherlands and TU Delft is essential. It symbolizes our commitment to innovation and progress, which is an integral part of our DNA. We look forward to working with our French and Dutch partners to explore new technologies in aviation and contribute to the success of this initiative", says Anne Brachet, Executive Vice President Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance.
"I am delighted with the Air France-KLM Group's exemplary contribution, which is symbolically very important for our both countries. The TU Delft-France Initiative represents a unique model of cooperation between academic institutions, research centers, and companies aimed at designing disruptive solutions for the decarbonization of this sector. I encourage other players in this sector to follow suit", states François Alabrune, Ambassador of France to the Netherlands.
"For the breakthrough technologies needed for climate-neutral aviation by 2050 (or sooner!), international cooperation with leading players in the aviation sector in Europe is essential. The TU Delft France Initiative gives us the opportunity to expand our cooperation with excellent universities and companies in France. We greatly appreciate this contribution from KLM-Air France and look forward to further cooperation with this important partner." Henri Werij, Dean Faculty of Aerospace Engineering TU Delft.
TU Delft-France Initiative
Following the example of funds developed in partnership with American universities, the TU Delft - France initiative aims to rapidly bring a strong R&D dimension to key sectors of the dual green and digital transition, which are at the heart of the bilateral relationship and contribute to the development of a European technological sovereignty. The program will support ambitious collaborative research projects between the TU Delft and leading French academic and research institutions, while focusing on student and researcher mobility. The initiative between the Embassy of France in the Netherlands and the TU Delft was officially announced during President Emmanuel Macron's state visit on April 11th and 12th, in the presence of Sylvie Retailleau, Minister of Higher Education and Research, and Robbert Dijkgraaf, Minister of Education, Culture and Science.
The first phase (2023-2026) will be dedicated to aeronautical engineering and focuses on three major areas of innovation specific to these sectors: green fuels (hydrogen and SAF); materials; propulsion and trajectory optimization. Launched this Summer, the aim of the pilot project on aeronautical engineering between ISAE-SUPAERO and TU Delft is to develop long-term cross-disciplinary and collaborative work between the two institutes through the co-financing of co-supervised theses.