December 4, 2008, Montréal, QC – EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services, has opened an office at the National Research Council Canada's (NRC) site to further strengthen its commitment to aerospace research and technology development (R&TD) in Canada.
Opening an office within the NRC's Institute for Aerospace Research (NRC-IAR) facility in Montreal is another important step in establishing a long-term closer working relationship between NRC and EADS. It will allow EADS and NRC to share expertise and resources in the research and technology field and ultimately help to underpin more hi-tech jobs in Quebec and Canada.
The agreement follows June's signing by EADS Chief Technical Officer Jean Botti of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between EADS and NRC to cooperate on R&TD for aerospace applications within Canada. Under this MoU, EADS-owned Airbus has already signed a 10-year framework cooperation agreement with NRC covering subjects ranging from manufacturing technologies to flight tests for environmental investigations.
"This new working arrangement with EADS will assist NRC in meeting the research and technology development needs of an important sector in the Canadian economy," said NRC President Dr. Pierre Coulombe. "EADS programs presently generate directly and indirectly some C$800 million of activity each year in Canada and support about 4,000 jobs in Canada's aerospace industry."
NRC and EADS currently have two joint projects underway. The first is a joint project between NRC-IAR Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Centre and EADS Innovation Works that involves friction stir welding. The second is collaboration between NRC and Airbus that involves the drilling of carbon fibre reinforced composites. In addition, NRC and EADS are considering joint projects that could include the NRC-IAR Structures and Materials Performance Laboratory, and other NRC institutes such as the NRC Industrial Materials Institute, the NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences and the NRC Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation.
EADS Canada President Hervé Garnier said: "We are very pleased to continue our relationship with Canada's NRC and the opening of this office is part of our long-term strategy of increasing research and development activities in Canada." Mr. Garnier added: "Canada is an increasingly important base and market for the EADS group. Our main divisions and Business Units already have a significant presence in the country, including EADS in Ottawa, Eurocopter and EADS Secure Networks in Ontario, PlantCML in Gatineau, Québec and other operations in other parts of the country."
EADS has over 100 suppliers in Canada with the country's aerospace companies forming a significant part of its global operations. A wide range of suppliers contribute significant components to our new A380 – the world's largest aircraft. Pratt & Whitney Canada is a major supplier of engines to EADS business units. Bombardier produces sub assemblies for the A330 and A340 Airbus. Major partners in Canada include: Honeywell Canada; Goodrich; CAE; Thales Systems Canada; CMC Electronics; MDA; Com Dev; and Messier-Dowty.
Media Contacts:
EADS
Rod Stone +33 1 4224 2775
National Research Council Canada
Sheila Noble +1 613-991-5738
Sheila.Noble@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS generated revenues of € 39.1 billion (approximately C$60.6 billion) and employed a workforce of about 116,000. The Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and EADS Astrium, the European leader in space programs from Ariane to Galileo. Its Defence & Security Division is a provider of comprehensive systems solutions and makes EADS the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium as well as a stakeholder in the missile systems provider MBDA. EADS also develops the A400M through its Military Transport Aircraft Division.
NRC has identified Canadian aerospace as one of the key sectors of the Canadian economy to which its expertise and infrastructure can make a profound science and technology contribution. While Canada's aerospace industry sales and workforce have exhibited healthy growth, more than doubling since the early 1990s. NRC has identified value-added innovations as amongst the most important for growing the sector in the coming decade.
NRC Aerospace will encourage innovation in this critical area by giving aerospace firms coordinated access to NRC's research leaders and state-of-the-art facilities. By leveraging its extensive expertise across multiple disciplines, NRC Aerospace offers unprecedented scientific support to industry, ensuring it remains on the leading edge of aerospace innovation. No other single organization in Canada offers this level of collaboration and assistance to industry.
About Aerospace in Canada
Aerospace is among Canada's most dynamic industrial sectors – and Canada is among the world's top five aerospace nations. The country earns revenues of nearly $22 billion annually and leads in a host of key market segments, including commercial flight simulators, civil helicopters and space robotics and imaging. More than 400 aerospace companies from coast to coast provide 80,000 high-quality jobs. Aerospace ranks as Canada's second largest manufacturing industry for R&D spending, R&D intensity and number of R&D jobs.
For more information, please visit the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
