50 students from 20 countries joined the second Airbus Airnovation Summer Academy from 1st to 6th July 2018 at Cranfield University. The Academy brings together students from multidisciplinary backgrounds for a unique, intense one week programme based on the principles and methods of a business accelerator.

The week long activity saw diverse, multidisciplinary teams create innovative business proposals with speed and agility. Their ideas responded to the 2018 challenge to produce game-changing concepts linked to the global need for food and water security, which features highly in a recent survey ranking millennials’ concerns*. By addressing challenges of global impact, the Academy offered the opportunity to learn how to keep aerospace relevant to society, transforming and reinventing the industry.

Taking inspiration from Airbus experts in engineering and digital technologies and with the support of leading Cranfield faculties, students applied state-of-the-art innovation methods to develop their proposals. Each team benefited from the guidance of Airbus experts and intrapreneurship coaches throughout the week, which culminated in a pitching session to an expert jury.

Intense teamwork was interspersed with an energising series of interactive talks on highly digital, emerging technology and innovative business activities.

Airbus’ Chief Human Resources Officer, Thierry Baril said: “At Airbus, we believe that the technology to radically change the world is within our grasp, and we will need talented people who can harness new tools, a new mindset, and work effectively in diverse and multi-disciplinary teams.

“The network and the skills that students will develop this week while creating imaginative and practical responses to critical world challenges will be invaluable for their future careers.”

This initiative is part of Airbus’ commitment to working with education to develop the skills and competencies needed for the future of the industry.





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Notes for editors

* According to a recent Global World Education Forum Global Shapers Report ranking millennials’ concerns, food and water security rank among the top 10 key concerns

About Airbus

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of € 59 billion restated for IFRS 15 and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

About Cranfield University

Cranfield University is a specialist postgraduate university that is a global leader for education and transformational research in technology and management.

Cranfield Aerospace

Cranfield is the number one university in Europe for aerospace. We are the only university in Europe to own and run an airport and to have airline status. We have been at the forefront of aerospace technology for 70 years.

As the UK's most business-engaged University, we have long-term relationships and close commercial partnerships with many companies in the sector including Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing and Rolls-Royce.

Our education, research and consultancy is enhanced by our world-class facilities including the National Flying Laboratory Centre – a unique national asset which provides a hands-on, flying experience, along with flight deck simulators and industrial-scale gas turbine engine test facilities used for performance and diagnostic studies. The Aerospace Integration Research Centre, a £35 million innovative centre built in partnership with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, fosters collaboration between industry and academia. A new £65 million Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre will also be built at Cranfield to spearhead the UK’s research into digital aviation technology.

Notable Cranfield alumni include Warren East, CEO of Rolls-Royce plc and Ralph Hooper, who attended the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield in 1946 and went on to become one of the UK’s most important post-war aircraft designers, creating the Hawker Harrier jump jet.