Aviation research and innovation strategy : a pathway to competitive and sustainable aviation supporting Europe's sovereignty

Renewing a vision for European aviation: Europe today leads the world in civil aviation and air traffic management (ATM). This success should not be taken for granted, particularly as the sector undergoes decarbonisation and digitalisation in today's challenging geopolitical context. Significant value is at stake, and capturing this value - for the sake of Europe's competitiveness, sustainability and sovereignty - is contingent on substantial investment in aviation research and innovation (R&I) and support to market uptake of new technologies to avoid the "valley of death" between technological development and product entry-into-service. Aviation is a major socio-economic contributor to Europe: The aviation industry is a vital component of Europe's economy, contri buting significantly to jobs, gross domestic product (GDP), and trade. Overall, the European aviation sector supports 15 million jobs, and contributes EUR 1.1 trillion to European economic activity. The aviation sector is also critical to the EU single market, European integration and global connectivity. It drives innovation and enhances Europe's global influence and security through its combined focus on sustainability and competitiveness. The importance of aviation in achieving these fundamental goals for Europe is underscored by the findings of the Draghi report.