WEAF News – £8M NEW FUNDING AWARDED TO AEROSPACE INNOVATION PROGRAMME

An industrial strategy initiative supporting the development of ground-breaking new aerospace technologies has been awarded £8m funding for its second round of projects.
The grant to the National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP) from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) will allow it to build on the first 114 projects, involving 268 companies, supported since its launch in 2013. It will be matched by more than £6.4m in industry funding, taking the total value of the second round to nearly £14.5m.
NATEP provides funding and mentoring support to companies in the supply chain of the aerospace sector collaborating with partners on innovation projects. It is supported by signatories of Aerospace Growth Partnership’s Supply Chain Charter, including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Bombardier, GKN and Leonardo.
With the new £8m ATI funding, NATEP will support a further 40 collaborative technology projects involving around 100 companies, creating or sustaining up to 500 jobs in the sector.
The ATI-funded NATEP programme is delivered by ADS across the UK with the support of the Regional Aerospace Alliances and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
“The UK has a world leading aerospace sector, with a turnover of £32 billion a year and supporting over 120,000 direct high-skilled jobs across the UK. The government’s Industrial Strategy is designed to build on the UK’s existing strengths as an agile, modern economy.
“This new funding for projects across the UK is good news for the whole of the aero supply chain, and a great example of how government and industry can work together. With public and private co-funding of nearly £4 billion for investment in research and development expected by 2026, the aerospace industry continues to flourish.”
ADS Chief Executive Paul Everitt said:
“The funding announced today will help to give companies in the UK’s globally competitive aerospace sector the support they need to maximise their innovative potential.
“The NATEP programme is a great example of successful partnership between government and industry. In just four years the programme has already worked with hundreds of companies in the UK supply chain, raising the capabilities of SMEs across the country and supporting major advances in productivity throughout the aerospace sector.
“Aerospace is a national economic success story and programmes like this will help keep UK companies in this industry right at the cutting edge of technological development.”
Aerospace Technology Institute Chief Executive Gary Elliott said:
“The Aerospace Technology Institute is delighted to support the NATEP programme and to help mobilise the UK supply chain in gaining a competitive advantage.”
“NATEP unlocks the potential of UK supply chain companies, and offers a direct link into emerging opportunities. It is a great way for large companies to have visibility of the capabilities that exist, and to help the suppliers develop their ideas in practical ways.
“We are looking forward to welcoming more supply chain companies into ATI-funded projects, and will take an active role in helping NATEP achieve its vision.”
The first round of funding saw £23m from the Government matched by a further £16.5m from industry, and NATEP is on track to have created or sustained 1200 jobs in the UK by 2022.
By supporting innovation in the UK aerospace sector, NATEP has injected new capabilities into companies in the UK supply chain, helping to equip them with new intellectual property or new capabilities that will allow them to grow, increase productivity, and win new business in the UK and abroad.
The UK aerospace sector is the biggest in Europe and last year recorded turnover of £31.8bn, taking growth in the industry to 39 per cent over five years. The sector employs 120,000 people in the UK, including 3,800 apprentices.