The Dutch company Fokker Next Gen N.V. intends to deliver its first hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft to clients by 2035. To achieve this, a centre of excellence for hydrogen aircraft operations engineering is planned to be developed in Latvia in collaboration with Riga Technical University (RTU). By signing a cooperation agreement, RTU and the company have agreed to enhance the environment for education, research, and innovation, creating the prerequisites for both the implementation of this ambitious project and the development of zero-emission aviation.

Hydrogen is the most effective aviation fuel solution that will allow for the achievement of the climate neutrality goals defined in the EU growth strategy "European Green Deal", according to Fokker Next Gen N.V.

In the development and production of the new generation of aircraft, Fokker Next Gen N.V. plans to establish not only a centre of excellence for hydrogen aircraft operations in Latvia, focusing on ground handling, airports, and hydrogen infrastructure, but also several other centres related to aircraft maintenance and manufacturing, including a final assembly line that would operate in parallel with the main line in the Netherlands.

To implement such an ambitious project in Latvia, RTU Rector Tālis Juhna and Fokker Next Gen N.V. CEO Juriaan Kellermann signed a cooperation agreement, expressing their commitment to jointly foster research and innovation capabilities and develop a regional aviation innovation ecosystem, including competing for national and international funding for education, research, and innovation. In order to establish a centre of excellence for hydrogen aircraft operations engineering in Latvia, it is essential to utilise existing scientific and educational capacity, for example, by carrying out high-level research, attracting funding for it from EU funds and other external financial sources, and commercialising the results to help innovative technologies reach the market. The development of highly educated human capital is no less important.

"I look forward to the expansion of the ecosystem and the formation of international cooperation between knowledge institutions to introduce hydrogen technologies into the aviation industry," says Fokker Next Gen N.V. CEO Juriaan Kellermann.

"Hydrogen research is one of the areas where RTU is developing scientific excellence with high added value for the future economy. RTU scientists have gained international recognition for their research in this field; particularly noteworthy is the method for safe and efficient hydrogen production developed by scientists from the RTU Faculty of Materials Science and Applied Chemistry in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Latvia Faculty of Chemistry and the Institute of Solid State Physics, using innovative amphoteric decoupled electrolysis. Scientists are also researching the use of hydrogen in photonics, the adaptation of existing natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen transport and storage, and more," notes RTU Rector Tālis Juhna.