Airbus and National Research Council Canada Agree on Cooperation

Released on Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The National Research Council Canada (NRC) and Airbus have signed a ten year framework agreement on research and technology cooperation. This new agreement is the first result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between EADS and the NRC. EADS Innovation Works, the corporate research and technology organisation, signed this framework agreement on behalf of the entire Group in June 2008 in Canada.

A spectrum of technical subjects will be covered by the Airbus-NRC agreement, ranging from manufacturing technologies to flight tests for environmental investigations. In particular, Airbus and the NRC will actively encourage the participation of Canadian supplier partners in the cooperation helping to maintain and develop the Canadian aeronautical industry's technology base and competitiveness.

"Canada is one of the major aeronautics nations in the world so it is only natural that Airbus and the NRC should want to cooperate. We have a long and good tradition in working together. This new agreement will upgrade the status of our relationship to a formal programme with an enhanced spectrum of research work to increase the eco-efficiency of modern aircraft even further", said Axel Krein, Senior Vice President of Airbus Research and Technology.

"I am pleased that a Division of EADS has taken the first concrete step and is taking advantage of the MoU we signed last month. It proves that we are committing to utilizing the strong technical resources Canada has to offer" said Jean Botti, EADS Chief Technical Officer.

Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China, Japan and in the Middle East. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company.