Project description
Advancing wind tunnels for the next generation of green aircraft
The development of radically new aircraft designs and propulsion technologies is a first step to achieving climate-neutral aviation. But these innovations must first be thoroughly tested and validated. Modernising Europe’s testing infrastructure is therefore essential to accelerate the safe and cost-effective development of sustainable aircraft. The EU-funded FUTURE project aims to upgrade Europe’s strategic wind tunnel infrastructure to meet the testing needs of next-generation aircraft powered by hybrid-electric, hydrogen, and ultra-efficient propulsion systems. By developing advanced testing capabilities for novel aircraft configurations and improving the speed and efficiency of data collection and analysis, the project will help reduce development risks, shorten certification timelines, and support Europe’s leadership in sustainable aviation.
Objective
"The Clean Aviation SRIA outlines the ambitious technology roadmaps required to meet the climate-neutrality goal envisioned by ""Fly the Green Deal"", focusing on disruptive aircraft concepts powered by hybrid-electric, hydrogen, or ultra-efficient thermal engines. However, the successful European development and de-risking of these transformative technologies – such as high-aspect-ratio wings and integration of various propulsion systems – are fundamentally dependent on the capabilities of Europe's ground-testing infrastructure: advanced Strategic Wind Tunnels testing capabilities are required to ensure development and certification of future commercial aviation programs.
The primary objective of FUTURE is to improve strategic EU wind tunnels to extend testing capabilities towards the needs of new aircraft configurations and significantly reduce aircraft development time, from wind tunnel model design to data delivery at reduced cost.
FUTURE will deliver advanced, interoperable capabilities focused on key areas like pioneering propulsion integration and aeroelasticity, thereby de-risking and accelerating entry-into-service of novel propulsion concepts and the next aircraft generation, that are looked at within other major running Clean Aviation and Horizon Europe projects.
Coordinated by NLR, FUTURE teams up a consortium of 17 partners from 10 European countries consisting of Europe’s leading research establishments in the field of wind tunnel testing, top-notch facility providers (DNW, ONERA, ETW) and completed by 5 SMEs with complementary expertise on flow visualization measurement systems, big data analysis and security, artificial intelligence-based approaches.
This ambitious 4-year, 15,5 MEuros valued action is supported by a strong Advisory Board formed from Clean Aviation Industrial Leaders but also of a number of startups and SMEs targeting the development of novel aircraft configurations and the electrification of aviation.
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Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences data science big data
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering aircraft
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL5-2025-04
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1059 CM Amsterdam
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.