An environmental technology programme will be proposed to the Quebec government and Canada's federal authorities in the latter half of this year by members of Montreal's Aero Montreal consortium.
The technology research proposal is in response to the European Union's Clean Sky initiative. Aero Montreal is a government-funded group consisting of corporate chief executives, educators, research centre leaders and trade unionists that discusses the needs of the local companies and employees, which make up over 60% of the country's aerospace industry.
The form of the environment programme is to decided by the Aero Montreal partners by the end of June. After that a proposal will be drawn up for submission in the third or fourth quarter.
"By green we mean more efficient engines, lighter engines, lower emissions, less noise. This could be Quebec's contribution to the major technology platform," says Aero Montreal chief executive Suzanne Benoit, referring to a national level programme to involve the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada.
Quebec's green research programme emerged from the innovation forum organised by Aero Montreal in December 2007. Other initiatives from the forum include a productivity improvement group and a study on organising the region's supplier base to better meet original equipment manufacturers' needs. The next planned forum will address the skills of the region's workforces.
Source: Flight International
