International launch event: AeroAfrica-EU

22 June 2009

After months of discussions, preparations and lots of hard work, AeroAfrica-EU was officially launched at an intimate event in Brussels last week.

AeroAfrica-EU is the culmination of the 2008 European Union Framework Programme 7 call for international participation. Mr Pablo Perez-Illana from EU DG Research, Directorate H, Transport including Aeronautics, attended along with Mr Sven HALLE of the EU Single Sky and modernization of air traffic control of DG Energy and Transport.

The event was hosted by Mr Daan du Toit, Minister Counsellor: Research & Development of the South African Department of Science and Technology at the SA Embassy in Brussels. Two presentations were made by Mr Rudolph Louw, Director: National Aerospace Centre of Excellence on behalf of the Partners. He was supported by his colleague Ms Jo-Anne September of the NACoE and Ms Annalisa Buonanno of Cranfield University. These presentations can in due course be found on the AeroAfrica-EU website.

The Project [AeroAfrica-EU] combines the resources of seven international partners as follows:

• South Africa - the Department of Science and Technology;
• South Africa - National Aerospace Centre of Excellence;
• South Africa - University of Witwatersrand;
• France - Aerospace Valley;
• Germany- Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology;
• Sweden- Royal Institute of Technology and
• UK- Cranfield University.

AeroAfrica-EU is a partnership project that seeks to promote European - (South) African Research Cooperation in Aeronautics and Air Transport, through the creation of a platform for enhancing aeronautics and air transport research and development cooperation, between the European Union (EU) & South Africa (SA) and also explores the potential for participation by other African countries in such cooperation.

Prior to the event on the 22 June discussions took place during Le Bourget Airshow in Paris the previous week with Dr Ruediger Brauning, Fraunhofer ICT and Mr Thilo Schonfeld, Aerospace Valley France.

The next few months will see renewed interactions between these organizations in anticipation of the FP7 call for proposals due by end July.