Clean Aviation is excited to announce the launch of its Third Call for Proposals, calling for innovators and stakeholders across the aviation sector to contribute with disruptive projects to accelerate the decarbonisation of aviation. With up to €380 million in EU funding, corresponding to a total research effort of €950(1) million including the additional private investments that will be triggered under the call—this Third Call seeks proposals to integrate and demonstrate the most promising technologies on the aircraft concept models identified in its Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda (SRIA). 

The Calls are all backed up by EU funding and focus on:

  • Ultra-efficient Short-Medium Range (SMR) aircraft architectures: € 205 million
  • Ultra-efficient Regional (REG) aircraft architectures: € 145 million
  • Aircraft Concept Integration & Impact Assessment (ACI&I): € 15 million
  • Fast-Track Activities (FTAs):  € 15 million

„Boosting the EU’s global competitiveness through Research & Innovation is a top priority. This Third Call for Proposals is an excellent opportunity to harness public EU funding alongside industry investment, driving forward the technologies that will shape the future of sustainable aviation.”, says Rosalinde van der Vlies, Chair of the Clean Aviation Governing Board, Director of Clean Planet, DG for Research and Innovation at the EC. A key highlight of this call is the introduction of ‘Fast Track Activities’—a simplified funding mechanism designed to empower start-ups, SMEs, academia, and research centres, in accelerating their innovations. 

“With this third call for proposals, we are accelerating the maturation of transformative technologies that will redefine aviation as we know it. By advancing innovations to fully functional prototypes (TRL 6), we ensure that they move beyond the lab and into the real world. Achieving net-zero aviation requires bold collaboration, breakthrough ideas and sustained investment, and this initiative is a critical step in turning that ambition into reality.”, says Sabine Klauke Chief Technology officer at Airbus. “To meet this challenge, cutting-edge solutions and expertise from across the aeronautical sector will be essential. Raising awareness of the diverse capabilities and solutions within the ecosystem, as we are doing today, is key to being better prepared to achieve these objectives.” 

Axel Krein, Executive Director of Clean Aviation, reinforced the organisation’s commitment to transformative change: „This third Call for Proposals is another crucial step in our mission to redefine the future of aviation. We are calling for disruptive innovations that will shape the next generation of ultra-efficient aircrafts in the short & medium and regional aircraft segments and will bring us closer to the very challenging journey towards a climate-neutral aviation sector by 2050”.

New Initiative

A major new feature in this call is the Fast Track Activities (FTAs) initiative designed to:

  • Simplify the application process and aim at a faster time-to-grant with respect to standard Call 3 topics
  • Support innovation and broaden contributions to the Clean Aviation Programme,
  • Encourage proposals and projects coordinated by start-ups, SMEs, Universities and Research Organisations
  • De-risk alternative or complementary technical solutions while enabling industrial end-user support to foster exploitation

Clean Aviation will be defining its 4th Call for proposal in close cooperation with its public and private members in the course of 2025.

KNOW MORE

APPLY HERE FOR STANDARD TOPICS

APPLY HERE FOR FAST-TRACK ACTIVITIES

Quelle: Clean Aviation