Department of Engineering / News / The Institute for Aviation and the Environment (IAE) receive funding of £5 million

Department of Engineering

The Institute for Aviation and the Environment (IAE) receive funding of £5 million

The Institute for Aviation and the Environment (IAE) receive funding of £5 million

Aviation has experienced rapid expansion as the world economy has grown.

Passenger traffic has grown by about 9% per annum since 1960, slowing to about 5% per annum by the late 1990s, making air travel the fastest growing sector amongst all transportation modes. Significant continued growth is anticipated during the next 50 years at least. As a result, emissions of pollutants such as carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases continue to increase. Leading experts in their fields Rex Britter, Professor of Environmental Fluid Dynamics and Bill Dawes the Francis Mond Professor of Aeronautical Engineering, are part of the University's Institute for Aviation and the Environment (IAE), set up to find solutions to enable sustainable growth of the aviation industry and to minimise its environmental impact. The IAE together with Cranfield and Manchester Metropolitan Universities have been awarded a substantial grant of £5 million from the Office of Science and Technology (OST) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to carry out this research.

The funding is for a project entitled "Opportunities for Meeting the Environmental Challenges of Growth in Aviation" (OMEGA). The project is to combine academic capability with knowledge exchange between academia, industry and policymakers to assist in developing future strategies for a sustainable UK aviation industry. OMEGA will generate a co-operative programme to:

1) develop a comprehensive data and information base that has the endorsement of the UK scientific community and that is communicated and available to all stakeholders

2) provide a "neutral" space where all parties can consider medium and long term strategies

3) define specific areas where further knowledge is needed to identify risks and potential solutions

4) ensure that research programmes are established to deliver better understanding and practical solutions for the short, medium and long term.

For further information visit the Institute for Aviation and the Environment website: http://www.iae.damtp.cam.ac.uk/

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