Cologne, July 9, 2015: With the signing of a framework cooperation agreement, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) will strengthen their already intensive cooperation. Current research projects will be extended in the next five years – for example, in the area of alternative aircraft fuels – and new cooperation projects will be embarked upon to facilitate, among other things, un-crewed aerial vehicles (UAV) and aircraft cabin research. “There are many common research interests and complementary assets and skills Between DLR and NRC,” explains Rolf Henke, DLR Executive Board Member responsible for aeronautics research. This is the case, for example, in research aircraft, turbine test stands and wind tunnels. “In addition, both organizations are pioneers in sustainable aviation and appreciate close cooperation with their national aviation industry.”
With the signatures of Rolf Henke and General Manager of Aerospace at NRC, Jerzy Komorowski, the knowledge exchange and collaboration between the two research institutions will be strengthened in the field of aeronautics. The Framework Agreement will facilitate cooperation in projects at many DLR institutes.
An example of the already established cooperation is the flight mission ACCESS II (Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise emission), which DLR, NASA and NRC conducted jointly in May 2014. Flying in formation behind a NASA DC-8, DLR and NASA studied the exhaust gas composition and NRC conducted research on the dynamics of the DC-8 wake. The aim was to study the emissions and contrail formation during the use of alternative fuels in flight. The cooperation under ACCESS II took place under the umbrella of the International Forum for Aviation Research IFAR (International Forum for Aviation Research), in which DLR, NASA and NRC are three among 26 member institutions. First contacts and an exchange of expertise with the NRC included interactions with the DLR Institute of Flight Systems, the DLR Institute of Combustion Technology and the DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is the research centre of the Federal Republic of Germany for aerospace. Its research and development work in aeronautics, space, energy, transport and security is integrated into national and international cooperative ventures. In addition, DLR is responsible for planning and implementing the German space program on behalf of the Federal Government.
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is the leading research and technology organization of the Canadian government. In cooperation with customers and partners, NRC provides innovation funding, strategic research and scientific and technical services.
Source: DLR