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Thales and ISAE-SUPAERO strengthen ties to work towards a more sustainable air transport system

Publication Date

04 March 2024

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Research

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Aeronautics

Decarbonization

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New partnership between Thales, ISAE-SUPAERO and its Foundation

Patrice Caine, CEO of the Thales Group, was on the ISAE-SUPAERO campus on Wednesday February 28 to sign a new partnership between Thales, ISAE-SUPAERO and its Foundation. The partnership will take the form of a research chair in Integrated Air Transport Systems (STAI).

The aim of a chair? To promote an emerging discipline or area of knowledge, at the interface between academia and business and industry, in a mutually beneficial partnership. By drawing on the recognised skills of ISAE-SUPAERO in the optimisation of flight operations and the systems approach, and on those of the Thales Group in flight avionics, connectivity and air traffic control, this association will enable both Thales and the Institute to increase their level of excellence in the fields of modelling, AI and operational research.

"This privileged link will enable Thales and ISAE-SUPAERO to work together, with a different and complementary perspective, on extremely promising strategic development areas: understanding flight operations in their entirety with the aim of optimising them and limiting CO2 emissions as much as possible".

Bruno Nouzille Technical Director of Avionics at Thales

A thesis and eleven grants

This programme includes a research component, with support from Thales for the recruitment of a PhD student to work on the Chair’s projects. The work will be directed by Rob Vingerhoeds, professor of systems engineering in the Complex Systems Engineering Department (DISC) at ISAE-SUPAERO.

"The aim of this work is to gain as complete an understanding as possible of the current air transport system, to use modelling and simulation to make visible every aspect that could impact on the overall system, and to analyse any inefficiencies. This, in turn, will enable proposals for new operational concepts to be considered."

Rob Vingerhoeds Professor of Systems Engineering in the Complex Systems Engineering Department (DISC)

The STAI Chair

The STAI Chair also includes an excellence scholarship scheme, the aim of which is to attract high-calibre, high-potential students to ISAE-SUPAERO by offering them, with the support of the sponsoring company, substantial resources to help them achieve their ambitious academic projects. Eleven students from the Engineering and Master in Aerospace Engineering programmes will be honoured until 2027.

"Thales' contribution to these scholarships for excellence contributes to the international attractiveness of the Institute".

Agnès Trincal Director of the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation

A second partnership

This is the second partnership of this type between Thales and ISAE-SUPAERO. In 2015, the high-tech group and the Institute joined forces to create their first sponsorship chair in embedded systems engineering. The partnership led to the creation of a new training pathway, several modules and support for students via excellence grants.

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Integrated Air Transport System - Thalès

This sponsorship, research and teaching chair draws on ISAE-SUPAERO's expertise in flight operations optimisation and systems approach, and on the Thalès Group's expertise in flight avionics, connectivity and air traffic control.

Aeronautics

Chair

Events

16th EASN International Conference

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Event

Events

Web conference "Research, Innovation & Training supporting Aviation Sustainability" - TSAAE by ISAE-SUPAERO & ENAC

Would you like to discover how ISAE-SUPAER and ENAC have fully integrated the challenges of sustainable aviation ?

Aviation

Conference

Decarbonization

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Semester Research Projects

Take your studies to the next level by participating in a semester-long research project at ISAE-SUPAERO: immerse yourself in cutting-edge laboratories alongside international experts and contribute to advances in aeronautics and space technology.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Aerospace summer program

News

The Institute is involved in the ecological transition of the aerospace ecosystem

Aerospace

Meeting

Sustainability

Pages

Chair for Eco-Design of AiRcraft – Airbus

The CEDAR Chair, a response to environmental issues in the aeronautics sector.

Aeronautics

Chair

Videos

Energy efficiency at ISAE-SUPAERO

ISAE-SUPAERO is fully committed to reducing its environmental footprint, particularly its energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels. Since 2019, our campus has been evolving to improve the energy performance of our buildings. Let's find out together how this progress is being translated, the actions that have been put in place and our objectives for the future. To find out more: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/horizons-186/vivre-un-campus-bas-carbone/vivre-un-campus-bas-carbone/

Corporate responsibility

Horizons

Sustainability

News

Electric aircraft flights to raise awareness of carbon-free aviation

In June, twenty-four students and staff members from ISAE-SUPAERO had the opportunity to fly on the Velis Electro, the world's first certified 100% electric aircraft.

Aeronautics

Decarbonization

Sustainability

Events

"Futurs Proches" Festival

Event

Sustainability

News

ISAE-SUPAERO ranked among the top three institutions most committed to ecological and societal transition!

Ranking

Sustainability

News

Ranking of the top schools most committed to ecological transition: ISAE-SUPAERO in 2nd place!

Ranking

Sustainability

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Our Challenge for the Environmental Transition

At ISAE-SUPAERO, we are committed to a sustainable society through “Horizons” in the field of environmental transition. Supported by a manifesto and a carbon footprint, our strategy mobilizes researchers, teachers, staff, and students to accelerate the transition and design the low-carbon aeronautics of tomorrow.

Horizons

Sustainability

News

Village Entreprises 2023, a look back in pictures!

This is the annual event that students and our partner companies cannot afford to miss. In addition to numerous internship and entry-level job offers, the Village Entreprises gives students the opportunity to interact and network with recruiters, alumni and operational staff in attendance.

Career

Internship

Meeting

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Human Factors and Neuroergonomics for Aviation Safety - AXA

The AXA Chair aims to advance research into human factors and, more specifically, human-machine interfaces, with a view to improving air safety.

Aeronautics

Chair

Company

News

Our alumni have their say: Vinh Ly, co-founder of Kyanos

Alumni

Career

Startup

News

ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC invite you to the “Rendez-vous Aéro de l'Innovation” on Thursday, February 5, 2026!

Aeronautics

Event

Innovation

News

ISAE-SUPAERO is co-hosting the 16th EASN International Conference in Toulouse

ISAE-SUPAERO is pleased to host the 16th edition of the international conference organized by EASN in Toulouse from October 27 to 30, 2026, dedicated to the theme: “Innovation in Aeronautics and Space for Sustainability Today and Tomorrow.”

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Innovation

News

Dassault Aviation and ISAE-SUPAERO renew their collaboration on the "Design and Architecture of Cognitive Air Systems" Research Chair

The "Design and Architecture of Cognitive Air Systems" teaching and research chair, initiated in 2016 by Dassault Aviation, ISAE-SUPAERO and its Foundation, aims at rethinking the relationship between crews and systems used in aviation. After some first promising results, the two aviation actors have decided to renew their partnership for another three years.

Chair

Company

Partnership

Testimonials

Testimony from Valentin Balayn, 2015 graduate of the TAS AERO FTE Advanced Master®

Advanced Master

Aeronautics

Alumni

News

Clean Aviation – The European CONCERTO project

Environmental issues are central to the strategy of ISAE-SUPAERO's Department of Research and Pedagogical Resources. This commitment is reflected in its participation in CONCERTO (Construction Of Novel CERTification MethOds and Means of Compliance for Disruptive Technologies), one of the European research projects on decarbonisation in aviation.

Decarbonization

Sustainability

News

ISAE-SUPAERO and GIFAS offer training to accelerate the decarbonization of air transport

Faced with the challenges of climate change and the imperatives of energy transition, ISAE-SUPAERO and GIFAS have joined forces to offer a unique training program dedicated to decarbonizing the aviation sector.

Aeronautics

Company

Decarbonization

News

ISAE-SUPAERO awarded Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility (SD&CSR) label

The Institute has been awarded the label "Développement Durable et Responsabilité Sociétale" (DD&RS), official recognition of its environmental and societal strategy. By obtaining this label, our school confirms its determination to make the ecological and social transition a lever for innovation in training, the transformation of industrial sectors and the evolution of practices in everyday life on campus.

Corporate responsibility

Label

Social responsibility

Videos

ISAE-SUPAERO students' commitment to sustainable development ISAE-SUPAERO

More information at: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/

Decarbonization

Sustainability

News

ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Congress: Laurent Joly, Deputy Director of Research at ISAE-SUPAERO, talks about the Institute's commitments

Event

Sustainability

News

Corentin Lefloch, an engineering student, wins first prize at the USAIRE STUDENT AWARDS for his ideas on the future of aviation

Prize

Sustainability

Videos

ISAAR DAHER/ ISAE-SUPAERO Chair: presentation of the Chair's work

Design and certification of CS-23 category aircraft ✈ In collaboration with our sponsor #daher and with the support of the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation, discover the latest advances in the work of the #ISAAR Chair (Innovative Solutions for Aviation Architecture & Regulation). Aircraft design is inherently multidisciplinary. It relies on a systemic approach to understanding certification needs and requirements and on a comprehensive analysis of possible vehicle architectures. Current and future environmental, societal and mobility challenges further reinforce this need to integrate disciplines in order to better optimise aircraft and to better reconcile safety, performance, environmental protection, market economics and the needs of passengers and crew. For more information: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/isae-s... FAST-OAD: https://github.com/supaero-aircraft-d...

Aeronautics

Chair

Company

News

Meeting with Yves Gourinat, elected as a full member of the Air and Space Academy

Yves Gourinat is a professor of structural physics in the Structural Mechanics and Materials Department (DMSM) at ISAE-SUPAERO. Already a corresponding member since 2019, he has just been elected a full member of the French Academy of Aeronautics and Space.

Aeronautics

Award

Teacher researcher

News

"Futurs Proches" Festival in October 9: tickets are now available!

ISAE-SUPAERO's CSR department, in partnership with the Toulouse Community of Universities and Establishments (COMUE), invites you to join us on Thursday, October 9 for the 2ᵉ edition of the Festival Futurs Proches, Festival des Campus en transitions!

Corporate responsibility

Decarbonization

Event

Testimonials

Testimony from Alexandre Bouraoui, engineering student by apprenticeship and IAC 2025 Award Winner

Final-year engineering apprentice, specializing in Industrialisation and Methods for Aeronautics and Space, Alexandre Bouraoui was recently honored at the 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2025) in Sydney, where he won the prestigious Hermann Oberth Gold Medal in the Graduate category. We spoke with him about his award and his studies at ISAE-SUPAERO.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Congress

News

Nicolas Cruaud, Engineer at ISAE-SUPAERO and co-founder of the start-up Néolithe

Meeting

Presentation

Startup

Videos

HORIZONS, ISAE-SUPAERO's renewed sustainable development strategy

At ISAE-SUPAERO, environmental issues are at the heart of our commitment. We are therefore mobilizing our teaching skills and scientific expertise to help build the aeronautical and space components of this sustainable society, and in particular to invent the low-carbon air transport of tomorrow.

Horizons

Sustainability

News

ISAE-SUPAERO expands its collaboration with TU Delft on sustainable aviation

During President Macron's state visit to the Netherlands, five agreements were signed to strengthen collaboration between the two countries in the field of science and technology. Among them, an agreement between TU Delft and France provides for close collaboration between ISAE-SUPAERO and TU Delft in the field of sustainable aviation.

Decarbonization

Partnership

Sustainability

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Support for the Development of the ISAE Group - GIFAS

GIFAS (Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales - French Aerospace Industries Group) supports the development of high-level academic and professional education in aerospace systems at the 6 Grandes Écoles that make up the ISAE Group (ISAE-ENSMA, ISAE-SUPMECA, ESTACA, Ecole de l'Air et de l'Espace, ENAC, ISAE-SUPAERO).

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Chair

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Spring Semester in Aeronautical Engineering

Immerse yourself in the world of aerospace in Toulouse, the European aerospace capital, with a semester taught in English combining excellent courses, cultural immersion, and proximity to major industrial players.

Aeronautics

Aerospace

Aerospace summer program

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Building tomorrow's sky together

José Navarro Martin works as an engineer in the Upskilling and Nextgen team of the Nose and Centre Fuselage department of the Airbus design office. For the past two years, he has been assigned to ISAE-SUPAERO as part of the government's Recovery Plan. We met with him to discuss his academic collaboration, hydrogen, and the decarbonisation of aviation!

Partnership

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Meeting Environmental Challenges

Crossing the Atlantic in an aeroplane or sending a human being to the Moon: for a century, aerospace research has never ceased to achieve what many thought impossible. At ISAE-SUPAERO, we are mobilising to meet this challenge and respond to the environmental and societal issues we face. 35% of internal and collaborative research projects are directly aimed at decarbonisation or are linked to the transition to sustainable aerospace.

Horizons

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Aviation and Climate: an assessment of transition scenarios for sustainable aviation compatible with the Paris Agreement

Publication Date

06 October 2023

Category

Research

Tag

Aeronautics

DCAS

Decarbonization

Sustainability

The researchers have just completed their study, providing a comprehensive review of updated elements based on an analysis of more than 350 scientific publications in the scientific journal Progress in Aerospace Sciences. “The aim is to provide the key elements needed to assess whether a transition scenario envisaged for aviation could be considered sustainable in the context of the Paris Climate Agreement, which came into force in 2016,” explains Nicolas Gourdain.

Maturity and effectiveness of solutions

The main contribution of their recent work is the detailed identification of technological levers for reducing CO2 emissions and mitigating non-CO2 related effects. In particular, it highlights the degree of maturity of solutions and promising areas such as mitigating the effect of condensation trails. Future aircraft architectures and the associated fleet renewal, as well as the energy sources envisaged, are studied from the priority angle of measuring the effectiveness of solutions.

At the same time, prospective scenarios for the transition of aviation are studied. A comparison of the methodologies proposed by different academic sources is carried out by the researchers with regard to modelling and the assessment of environmental sustainability. Some applications are illustrated using the AeroMAPS tool developed at ISAE-SUPAERO, which the researcher Thomas Planès describes as “a tool for modelling transition scenarios taking into account the components of air transport, the associated impacts and the many interactions”.

Their analysis highlights the uncertainties surrounding the feasibility of these trajectories, particularly those of the most ambitious scenarios, which are based on strong assumptions about technological and political compromises. “Our work also provides food for thought on the concept of sustainability in aviation, and has led us to consider the need for a multidisciplinary approach in future forward-looking models,” explains Florian Simatos.

This work is one of ISAE-SUPAERO’s contributions to the Institute for Sustainable Aviation (ISA). The ISA aims to become a scientific research tool capable of combining climate projections for the aviation sector with a wide range of disciplines, including economics, law, regulation and sociology.

In a special issue dedicated to sustainable aviation, the scientific journal Progress in Aerospace Sciences, a benchmark in the field of aeronautics, has published a scientific article on the “Aviation and Climate” report in its enhanced version.

ISAAR DAHER/ ISAE-SUPAERO Chair: presentation of the Chair’s work

Publication Date

02 August 2023

Category

Tag

Aeronautics

Chair

Company

Partner

ISAE-SUPAERO Environmental Engineering Certificate: training engineers in the challenges of environmental and energy transitions

Publication Date

03 June 2021

Category

Institute

Tag

Aeronautics

Certification

Sustainability

Environmental engineering certificate from ISAE-SUPAERO

Presentation of the certificate

Set up as part of the CEDAR Chair (Chair for Ecodesign of AiRcraft, funded by Airbus), the Environmental Engineering Certificate is aimed at final-year engineering students from ISAE-SUPAERO and ISAE Group schools.
During April and May, 20 students from ISAE SUPAERO and 16 students from ISAE-ENSMA took the Environmental Engineering Certificate. This 175-hour certificate, divided into 3 modules: “Environment and aeronautics” (61 hours), “Aviation of the future” (70 hours) and “Engineer in action” (44 hours), culminated in a Grand Oral on the ISAE-SUPAERO campus and remotely on 1 and 2 June. The Grand Oral was an opportunity for students to present their subjects related to the Chair’s theme in front of Airbus and the lecturers.

Certificate objectives

Understanding environmental and energy issues.
Understand the social and economic impacts and externalities associated with the energy and environmental transition.
Addressing global political and regulatory aspects.
Understand how industries are integrating these issues.

“ WHEN DEVELOPING THE PROGRAMME WITH JONATHAN PREIST AND SERGE BONNET OF AIRBUS ENGINEERING, WE WANTED TO OFFER STUDENTS SOLID THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTIONS ON THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND THEN INDICATE THE SPECIFIC CHALLENGES IN THE AERONAUTICS SECTOR. WE FELT IT WAS INDISPENSABLE FOR THE STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY QUESTIONS SO THEY CAN ACQUIRE THE NECESSARY SKILLS AND HINDSIGHT BEFORE STUDYING THE DIFFERENT TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS CURRENTLY BEING PROPOSED OR STUDIED.”
Pierre-Marie GUINEHEUC – Project coordinator for the environmental engineering certificate at ISAE-SUPAERO

Testimony of Eve Jolicoeur

What have you gained from the environmental engineering certificate? What are the challenges of such training?

The certificate was a revelation for me. I was interested in environmental issues, but this certificate enabled me to understand them correctly and precisely. Through general courses and others more specific to aviation and transport, as well as a variety of speakers, we acquired solid knowledge and practical skills, such as how to carry out carbon assessments and Life Cycle Analyses. We were able to develop a critical mind, thanks in particular to exchanges with the teachers with whom we could debate. With a wide range of courses, not just on technology but also on the psychology and philosophy of technology, we learnt to be open-minded, and even to take a big swipe at any preconceived ideas we might have had.
For many of us, the certificate was an opportunity for personal introspection: what values do we want to defend? Will I be able to work in a company that does not adhere to these values? What role do I want to play in society in the face of climate change? What commitment do I want to make and what meaning should I give to it?
I think one of the major challenges of this certificate was to succeed in presenting the facts as they are, without being subjective. If the speakers expressed opinions, this had to be clear so as not to confuse facts with opinions. What’s more, two months is a very short time to tackle a fairly vast subject, so we had to offer courses that would give us the best possible understanding of the problem, while presenting as exhaustive a range of existing or feasible solutions as possible. In a short space of time, we had to be given the keys so that we could in turn pass them on to others and apply them to our own way of thinking.

How did you approach the Grand Oral?

I approached the Grand Oral quite calmly. Although it may seem stressful, having a panel of experts come and listen to you is a great chance, a quite unique opportunity. It’s a real opportunity to talk to them, launch debates and raise questions by presenting our work. Preparing for the Grand Oral was an opportunity to think for ourselves about environmental issues; using our newly-acquired knowledge to conduct our own reasoning, taking our thoughts further.

A rich and varied panel of speakers

The certificate is taught by a wide range of speakers from industry, research centres, schools and independent experts. Nearly 60 speakers took part in the course, raising students’ awareness of new environmental issues.

For Bastien Lefrançois, design and operations engineer for Flying Whales and hot-air balloon pilot, who came to present the aerostatic balance to the students: “I’d like the students to come away with a sense of what aerostation is, which is very different from more conventional aviation. They now have a few theoretical keys and a few experimental keys”.

Stéphane Amant, a consultant at Carbone4 and an alumnus of ISAE-SUPAERO, who spoke about the specific challenges of air transport in the transport of the future, explains: “At the end of my speech, I would like the students to remember that a golden era is opening up for them in aeronautics”. He adds that engineers will play a more important role in the future than they have in the last thirty years.

A favourable outlook, then, for students, future engineers who will need to be able to apply their knowledge in this area in the future in companies that are now all aware of these environmental issues.

“ The Environmental Engineering Certificate is an excellent opportunity for Airbus and ISAE-SUPAERO to give engineers a global vision of all the issues facing humanity, with a particular focus on environmental aspects and the aeronautical sector. It is also a two-month journey during which we explore together the complexity of sustainable development without shortcuts. Right from the introductory session, I could feel the students’ commitment to the themes proposed, and they also showed great enthusiasm for the exercises, workshops and quizzes. All of this was done in a dynamic atmosphere that made the experience very enjoyable for the speakers. During the Grand Oral, they tackled complex, interdisciplinary issues around a variety of themes, such as the increasing scarcity of resources, ethical issues and the notion of a carbon budget. I was impressed by their ability to explore, analyse, synthesise and present studies on these subjects in such a short space of time, and I’m really proud of their progress and the intellectual value of their work. They will be fully capable of committing themselves to the transition of the aeronautical sector”

Jonathan PREIST – AIRBUS Sustainable Development Expert

Let’s make together a durable commitment to new horizons

Publication Date

28 January 2021

Category

Institute

Tag

Aeronautics

Horizons

Sustainability

Teacher researcher

Engineers must take part in public debate and exercise their role as citizen-engineers

It is the job of engineers to bridge the gap between science and society, using science to take concrete action in society. Their role is crucial in addressing the complexity of these challenges by proposing solutions that are ambitious, scientifically sound and socially acceptable. Engineers have a voice to be heard, yet they are all too rarely heard in public debate.

Higher education and research are major levers in the transition to a sustainable society. In recent years, our students’ awareness of climate issues has become very high, as shown by their growing participation in the dedicated training modules that we have set up over the last ten years. Their massive and unprecedented involvement encourages us to think even more deeply about our contribution to this transition.

A leading engineering school such as ours remains fundamentally attached to the notion of progress developed in the Age of Enlightenment. We believe that advances in science should enable humanity to gradually take control of its own destiny, provided it makes good use of them. And we are aware that we have a special role to play in this, by contributing through our research to the advancement of knowledge, and above all by training young engineers to make the best use of it. We are firmly committed to this.

The ecological transition is the major challenge facing the aeronautics sector

The history of aeronautics and space is that of a pioneering industry that has made one of mankind’s oldest dreams come true. Crossing the Atlantic in an aeroplane or sending a human being to the Moon: over the last century, aerospace engineers have repeatedly shown that they are capable of doing what many thought was impossible. They can help to do the same for the challenge of ecological transition.

They have already made a major contribution to the diagnosis of the situation: it was thanks to balloons and aeroplanes that the science of the atmosphere was first developed; more recently, it is thanks to the observation satellites put into orbit over the last few decades that it has been possible, for the first time in human history, to measure the state of the atmosphere and the oceans over the entire surface of the globe. Without this, it would have been impossible to understand the phenomena and validate the scientific models of global warming. Now they have to work hard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero, starting in their own field, which is not the easiest.

In barely 100 years, aeronautical engineers have invented, made safe and democratised air transport. We are no longer surprised by this, but isn’t it extraordinary that today it is faster, more comfortable, safer and cheaper to take the plane than the car or the train, when you want to cover distances of more than 1,000 km? The energy efficiency of air transport has made equally impressive progress. But that’s not enough. Having invented, secured and democratised air transport, we now need to decarbonise it. This is a new issue, a new challenge, just as ambitious as the previous ones: we need to invent new aircraft, using all the technological resources and creativity of our engineers.

The technological avenues have been identified: energy sources, materials, structure, aerodynamics, engines, etc. There is a considerable amount of work to be done to bring all these technologies to maturity and bring them up to the level of reliability and safety required for air transport. This is the job of a new generation of engineers, who will have to invent new aircraft that are carbon-free and as reliable and competitive as ever, based on the latest scientific advances: it’s a fabulous challenge for the decades to come.

ISAE-SUPAERO is making a long-term commitment today

The training model of France’s leading engineering schools combines high scientific standards, a broad multidisciplinary approach and a commitment to business and society. Our students are destined to become key players in the ecological transition.
The pioneering spirit and potential for innovation that are in the DNA of aeronautical engineers, and in particular those at ISAE-SUPAERO, encourage us to go even further.

Over the past year, we have mobilised a number of working groups, students, teaching and research staff, industrial partners and governance bodies to examine in greater depth and reformulate our strategic commitment to sustainable development. Together, we have faced up to this formidable challenge, and we are convinced that it also represents a tremendous opportunity for our students. We are convinced that it is possible to transform the aerospace sector over the coming decades to make it a major component of a sustainable society. Space will play an increasingly important role in monitoring the state of our planet, and air transport can be decarbonised, so that it can continue to meet the long-distance transport needs of future generations without impacting on the climate.

We have a duty to commit to this without delay:

To play our role within the aerospace sector, by assuming our responsibility to prepare for the future and anticipate the necessary transformations;
To meet the expectations of our current and future students and employees;
To remain true to our history and our motto “excellence with a passion”, by training engineers who will be at the forefront of the transformation of the aerospace sector.

We have therefore made a commitment to mobilise our teaching skills and scientific expertise to help build the aeronautical and space components of a sustainable society, and in particular to invent the low-carbon air transport of the future. We are implementing this commitment through a renewed Sustainable Development strategy: HORIZONS.

The aim of this approach is threefold:

To make the Institute a committed player in the sustainability of aeronautical mobility and the space sector, by training the engineers and managers who will take up this challenge, and by directing our research and innovation activities in this direction;
Giving our future graduates the keys to contributing to the public debate on the energy transition and a sustainable society, by drawing on the scientific approach and their ability to master complex systems;
Continue to reduce the carbon footprint of our activities and our campus.

Since 1909, ISAE-SUPAERO has been training systems engineers, with a global approach, who contribute, through their excellence, to the emergence of solutions, capable of solving major problems and making a positive commitment to the future of society. We train critical thinkers who are aware of changes in the world and of the fact that science and technology are at the heart of major societal issues.

The aeronautics industry is undergoing constant change, and today it needs to rethink, transform and reinvent itself. It will need new visions, different and emerging skills. ISAE-SUPAERO has a role to play in this adventure by preparing our graduates to transform and reinvent the aeronautics and space sector of the future and to invest in major pioneering projects as they have done since the beginning of the 20th century, and by contributing to research in this area.

The deployment of this strategy should also be an opportunity to unite our community around an ambitious collective project that is vital for the future. Together, we can make a lasting commitment to new horizons!

Olivier Lesbre
President of ISAE-SUPAERO (2014-2024)

Envision responsible air transport

Publication Date

03 July 2020

Category

Institute

Tag

Aeronautics

Sustainability

The students behind the project

Quentin Barascud, Antoine Salgas and Victor Lauféron are all passionate about aeronautics and are in their third year of the engineering programme. Joining ISAE-SUPAERO has always been an obvious choice for them.

Deprived of their gap year internship because of the health crisis, they didn’t hesitate to work on a micro-project proposed by the Institute’s management to outline some solutions for improving the climate impact of aviation. They sought to understand the issues surrounding these questions from a technological point of view, but also from a societal and economic point of view, in order to propose a sustainable future for this industry by 2040.

Based on public data and their academic knowledge, this report has enabled them to put forward a number of ideas to kick-start the shift towards truly greener aviation.

“We have proposed a list of measures aimed at moderating this impact while preserving the very raison d’être of aviation, which is to open up to the world,” says Antoine Salgas.

Sustainable development is everyone's business

The idea of this project is also to exchange and compare these analyses with experts from the Académie de l’air et de l’espace, former programme directors and pioneers of the French and European aeronautics industry. This is an opportunity to create inter-generational exchanges to refine their ideas and gain an inside view of the field. The aim is to gather outside opinions and understand the constraints on progress and open up to other, less theoretical horizons.

It’s also an opportunity for us to understand that our generation is not the only one concerned about these issues,” says Antoine after their video conference discussions.

The discussions gave the students a better grasp of the complexity of some of the points raised in their report “15 ideas for more sustainable air transport”.
It also gave us the impression that we really can help this industry to evolve. We also sensed a strong desire on the part of the industry to change the paradigm and commit to the development of green aviation “, says Victor Lauféron.

Following these discussions, the students will go back to their work to incorporate the academics’ comments. It is important for both the protagonists and the management to share this work with all ISAE-SUPAERO students in ways that have yet to be defined. Because, as the members of the Academy pointed out during the discussions, the circulation of ideas is a key component of the challenge of the energy transition.

The theme of sustainable development is unavoidable and has been selected by the ISAE-SUPAERO Board of Directors as a key element of the teaching programme. These exchanges and feedback are part of this teaching approach and should be of benefit to all students, not only to extend their knowledge but also to introduce reliable elements into the treatment of sensitive subjects such as sustainable development. The academics made a number of proposals, such as extending these discussions to the different modes of transport, through inter-school relations, to further increase exchanges between these future leaders.

The future in green

Victor hopes that this initial brainstorming will spark off new ideas among the other students, helping them to find solutions to the colossal problem of global warming.

Antoine can see himself working to solve this challenge.
While I remain very cautious about the government’s announcements of ‘zero carbon’ aircraft, the political will is there and promises some great projects for our generation to work on.

Quentin Barascud concludes: “This may be the biggest challenge the sector has ever faced, but I think we have to aim for green and sustainable aviation to keep the best of what it has to offer. Because if we, as future aeronautical engineers, don’t believe in it, this type of project will never see the light of day.”