UK university gets funding boost for SAF research

Cranfield University has been awarded £3.1 million (€3.7 million) to advance its sustainable aviation research, both into developing low-carbon aircraft and decarbonising airport logistics.
The funding from Research England will also have an immediate impact on reducing or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from flying and airside operations at Cranfield University, amounting to 305 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per year.
The Net Zero Research Airport project won the funding from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) Net Zero pilot funding scheme, an £18.9 million (€22.5 million) funding boost to support universities in reducing carbon emissions and making research processes more environmentally sustainable.
It will unlock further potential from two existing Cranfield UKRPIF projects – the Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC) and the Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC) - by providing new facilities and equipment to support research focused on sustainable aviation.
Cranfield University, which has committed to its own target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030, has a long-standing focus on aviation and the environment.
“This funding is a welcome boost to our innovation and research at Cranfield University,” said Professor Iain Gray, director of aerospace at Cranfield University. “It will have an immediate impact on our own operations and emissions. And in the longer term it will help us to make a significant contribution to the government’s ambition of net zero aviation by 2050 and global net zero targets, as new technologies and developments are adopted by the aviation industry.
“There is a pressing need for a clear pathway to a future world of sustainable aviation, and Cranfield University can help to build that.”