Marisa Garcia Hamburg Aviation and Aéro Montréal have announced the expansion of their coöperation to improve today’s aviation technologies and plant the seeds to support tomorrow’s aviation growth.
The agreement, signed during the Farnborough Airshow, is the foundation of a High Tech strategy to support medium and small aviation enterprises as well as universities and research institutions in the exchange of knowledge, capabilities and facilities necessary to develop materials, products and technologies. The partners aim to forge new ties in research and development, to further develop the supply chain, and to develop skills among aerospace workers.
The Hamburg Aviation cluster was responsible for developing a state-of-the-art research and development facility in Hamburg: ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research.
Aéro Montréal is a strategic think tank which brings together leaders in Québec’s aerospace sector: companies, educational and research institutions, associations and unions.
As part of Hamburg Aviation’s internationalisation strategy, the collaboration has received funding of up to four million euros over the coming years from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The coöperation agreement has a total project volume of 12 million euros, half of which is coming from the Canadian side.
“Both Hamburg and Montreal are regions of key importance for the global aerospace sector, and complement each other well,” says Dr. Franz Josef Kirschfink, Managing Director, Hamburg Aviation. “The new agreement is the logical next step forward in a growing and fruitful relationship between our regions and a win-win situation for companies and institutions on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Aéro Montréal’s is dedicated to engaging with Québec’s aerospace cluster to foster growth and expansion on a global scale. Its aims to become a benchmark in global aerospace.
Hamburg is a bustling aviation city, employing more than 40,000 people with highly specialised skills supporting aerospace. It hosts both Airbus and Lufthansa Technik, industry leaders in product development and innovation, as well as more than 300 industry suppliers. It was recently recognised as a Leading-Edge cluster for its contributions to aviation services and the efficiency of the air transport system by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Suzanne M. Benoît, President of Aéro Montréal, welcomes the initiative and its benefits to Québec’s aerospace industry.
“This agreement will strengthen relations between Aéro Montréal and the various European clusters. We already have close relationships with many European clusters. This agreement will provide a solid base for German and Québec aerospace SMEs to develop their collaborative process and growth opportunities, as part of the internationalization of clusters,” she says.
