Creation of the EADS Corporate Research Foundation: Strengthening the ties between public and private research and education

Philippe Camus, CEO of EADS, has announced the creation of the EADS Corporate Research Foundation in France. Global leader in aerospace, defence and related services, in 2003 EADS spent 17% of its annual revenues in R&D and self-financed almost half. The Foundation marks a new step in its commitment to Knowledge and Research.

With an allocation of €24 million over 5 years, the foundation is intended to nurture talent, ideas and knowledge by strengthening ties between the public and private research and education, industrial and technical communities.

In his opening speech, Philippe Camus declared, “Research is the salvation of our enterprises. Today we cannot fail to acknowledge the alarming fact that efforts in Research and Development are greatly dominated by the United States and significantly escalating in Asia, putting France and Europe at a disadvantage. Fierce, international competition is emerging to attract and keep both foreign researchers and engineers as well as investments. Action must be taken to build a Europe of Research. The most talented actors are still in Europe; we must do our utmost to keep them here and give them the means to fulfil their potential. Otherwise, our scientific and technical resources will move to other areas outside Europe, followed by the companies who need them”. He went on to add, “The lack of research dynamics is greatly due to the under-optimisation of the education/research centre/business triangle. We must stimulate the movement of information, skills and people, and above all develop joint projects to pool knowledge and put it to work. This is what the creation of an EADS Corporate Foundation aspires to do. It is the first illustration in France of the priority given by EADS to Research and Technology called ‘Advanced Technology Initiative’ that plans for instance a much higher interaction between EADS and the best research centres in the world. With this Foundation, we will be trying to initiate a virtuous cycle”.

Chaired by Daniel Deviller, EADS Chief Technology Officer, the Foundation will be managed by a Board comprising 15 founding members. Each of the group’s subsidiaries – Airbus, Astrium, Eurocopter, MBDA, EADS Defence & Security and EADS SPACE transportation – will be represented, as well as the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Institute for Research in Computer Science (INRIA) and National Office for Aerospace Studies and Research (ONERA). A scientific Committee, the entity’s expert authority, will be made up of 20 renowned figures from scientific and academic spheres as well as experts from EADS.

The Foundation will be aiming to support research through three complementary approaches.

The priority themes on which the Foundation will be working include aeronautical sciences with acoustics, aerodynamics and propulsion, along with sciences and space, focusing on research in UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), navigation, automatism and piloting. Not forgetting knowledge of the infinitely minute with nanotechnologies, and the study and control of energies of tomorrow.

Two initiatives have already been planned for the end of 2004, the ‘Envol Recherche’ day on Saturday the 16th October 2004 and the prize giving ceremony ‘Prize Irène Joliot Curie’ on the 18th November 2004.

One day of conferences/debates about the scientific challenges facing aeronautics, space and defence. Open to all, and particularly science students, this day will initiate inter-generational dialogue. Prominent figures in research will meet the generation of young scientists, students and engineers. From materials to aerodynamics, from nanotechnologies to systems of systems and from intelligent machines to space technologies for universal exploration, the topics will provide plenty of matter for discussion.

The EADS Corporate Foundation will be taking part in the Irène Joliot Curie prize-giving ceremony. The prizes were created by the French Ministry of Research and reward actions taken to encourage girls to study science, to promote the role of women in research and to highlight the exemplary careers of women in public or private research. To us, spreading scientific culture and encouraging young people – particularly girls who are often out-numbered in scientific studies – to go into research, are decisive issues in our society.

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