As its names clearly states, the SUNJET II project is truly benefitting from the organization and work performed during SUNJET from 2011 to 2012.
Based on its strong network of key industrial and academic players in Europe and Japan, SUNJET allowed deriving key roadmaps for each of the following domains: aircraft, engine, equipment, universities and research centers. Major topics of interest identified included: anti-icing, noise reduction technologies, more electric aircraft technologies, cockpit displays, high speed aircraft...
In the meantime, three joint European-Japanese projects were launched under FP7 Call5 : HIKARI (HIgh speed Key technologies for future Air transport – Research and Innovation cooperation scheme), JEDI-ACE (Japanese European De-Icing Aircraft Collaborative Exploration) and SHEFAE (Surface Heat Exchangers For Aero-Engines). SUNJET II will truly benefit from the lessons learned during the build-up and implementations of these projects.
However, some lessons had to be learned from SUNJET, ie that more consistency and more interactions was required between the various roadmaps, to avoid a “silo” organization.
In this spirit, the SUNJET II Consortium has concentrated its efforts to bring additional value on top of SUNJET, thanks to the following:
• Enlarging the depth and scope of the roadmaps to be established, even beyond the strict aerospace boundaries (especially for equipment and SME through the clusters).
• A key work package in charge of ensuring the consistency of the roadmaps, and mapping their interdependencies.
• A work package in charge of doing the synthesis of all the technical roadmaps, to pre-select preferred topics of cooperation, and make recommendations on future calls.
• Advanced functions and tools to facilitate networking and share best practices to facilitate the creation of joint EU-Japan aerospace projects.
• A handover activity to a permanent organization to ensure that all the network, knowledge and tools developed during the project will survive after the end of the project.
The great strength of the SUNJET II Consortium members is that its members not only represent their own organization, but the European aerospace community as a whole. Each partner is speaking in the name of its branch, for instance ONERA representing EREA (European Research Establishments in Aeronautics), Airbus Group being the spokesperson for Euromart IMG, BaE Systems representing Equipment IMG, Aerospace Valley representing the European aerospace cluster network EACP (European Aerospace Cluster Partnership) and EASN being directly implicated in the proposal.
Thanks to this empowerment, the SUNJET II Consortium is the best possible representative of the European Aerospace community, and has the best ability to represent the European interests in its joined initiative with Japan.
In addition, the consortium partners also build on a long experience of institutional partnerships. This includes, among others, the International Forum for Aviation Research (IFAR - www.ifar.aero) which is also supported by the European Commission within the EU project IFARs co-ordinated by DLR. IFAR connects 24 international leading research organisations in aviation. JAXA from Japan is currently represented by the vice chairman.
Of course, SUNJET II greatly benefits from a mirror organization put in place in Japan which includes key counterparts in each branch (industry, research centers, universities, etc…)
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