Clean Aviation

What Clean Aviation does

Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU) is a European Union public-private partnership established under the Horizon Europe framework and headquartered in Brussels. It is the EU's flagship research and innovation programme for aviation decarbonisation, operating as the successor to Clean Sky 1 and Clean Sky 2. CAJU does not develop or sell products commercially; instead, it issues calls for proposals, selects consortia, and disburses grant funding to collaborative research projects led by aerospace manufacturers, engine makers, and research institutions.

Its core technology focus spans breakthrough propulsion and airframe concepts: open-fan engines targeting a 60:1 bypass ratio (TAKE OFF project, €100 million); the UltraFan 30 narrowbody engine demonstrator targeting 30% GHG reduction versus 2020 state-of-the-art (UNIFIED consortium, €64 million, led by Rolls-Royce); hybrid-electric propulsion for regional aircraft targeting 20% fuel efficiency gains (PHARES, led by Pratt & Whitney Canada); advanced morphing control surfaces via thermoplastic composites (MANTA, GKN Aerospace); biocomposite cabin demonstrators with projected 22% fuel savings over a 30-year aircraft lifespan; and hydrogen-power programmes including FASTER-H2.

CAJU operates with a headcount of 11–50 staff under a managed-services model: the organisation administers an €824 million programme envelope across five streams covering ultra-efficient short-medium range aircraft, hydrogen power, regional aircraft, hybrid-electric propulsion for both SMR and regional segments, and transverse activities. It serves as a funding and coordination intermediary between the European Commission (its principal governing authority) and industrial partners including Airbus, CFM (Safran/GE Aerospace), Rolls-Royce, Safran, GKN Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Leonardo, Collins Aerospace, ATR, and Avio Aero, alongside research institutes such as DLR, NLR, Fraunhofer, and TU Delft.

Name

Clean Aviation

Legal name

Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU)

Website

https://clean-aviation.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU) is an EU public-private partnership that funds and coordinates pan-European research consortia developing sustainable aviation technologies, serving aerospace primes (Airbus, Safran/CFM, Rolls-Royce, GKN, Pratt & Whitney Canada) and research institutes under Horizon Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Research Funding

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing (Fixed-Wing) (IMABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) & Alternative Fuels (e-fuels, biofuels, hydrogen) (THABANAA), Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Production (HEFA, FT, ATJ) (EUAAAHAE)

Keywords

• Sustainable aviation research
• Aviation decarbonization programs
• Aerospace research funding
• Clean propulsion development
• EU aviation consortium

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Public Funding: Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking receives funding from the European Union to provide grants to research consortia developing sustainable aviation technologies. The organization acts as a funding mechanism rather than a revenue-generating commercial entity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU) is an EU public-private partnership that funds and coordinates research consortia developing breakthrough sustainable aviation technologies. The organization issues competitive calls for proposals and distributes €824 million in EU funding across five research streams covering ultra-efficient short-medium range aircraft, hydrogen power, regional aircraft, and transverse activities. It manages coordinated R&D projects involving Airbus, Safran, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, GKN Aerospace, and other aerospace leaders, targeting open-fan engines, hybrid-electric propulsion, hydrogen power systems, and advanced aircraft configurations for commercial service entry around 2035.

Product overview

Clean Aviation is an EU public-private partnership (Joint Undertaking) that funds and coordinates research into breakthrough technologies for climate-neutral aviation. The organization operates successive research programmes: Clean Sky 1 (2000-2024) and its successor Clean Sky 2, followed by the current Clean Aviation Programme (2022-2030). These programmes fund multiple collaborative research projects including engine technologies (TAKE OFF/Open Fan, UNIFIED/UltraFan 30), hybrid-electric propulsion (PHARES), aircraft structures (MANTA morphing surfaces), cabin innovations (Pax Cabin Demonstrator with biocomposites), hydrogen power (FASTER-H2), and hybrid-electric regional aircraft (HERACLES & DEMETRA). Clean Aviation does not sell commercial products; it functions as a research funding and coordination body, supporting consortia of aerospace industry partners to develop and demonstrate technologies aimed at achieving net-zero aviation emissions by 2050.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clean Aviation Programme Current EU research programme (2022-2030) funding collaborative R&D into breakthrough technologies for climate-neutral aviation, covering ultra-efficient short-medium range aircraft, hydrogen power, regional aircraft, and transverse activities with €824 million in EU funding.
• Clean Sky 2 Programme Predecessor EU research programme (2000-2024) of demonstrators and technology validation for aviation decarbonization, building the foundation for the Clean Aviation Programme.
• TAKE OFF Project Open-fan engine technology project targeting a 60:1 bypass ratio and up to 20% fuel consumption and emissions reduction, led by CFM (Safran/GE Aerospace) with Airbus flight testing planned using an A380.
• UNIFIED Project (UltraFan 30) Rolls-Royce-led multinational consortium developing and ground testing the UltraFan 30 narrowbody engine demonstrator, targeting 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2020 state-of-the-art technology.
• MANTA Programme Demonstrated four advanced morphing control surface technologies including thermoplastic composites, fluid-driven trailing edge, combined flap/aileron mechanism, and adaptive air intake flap for future aircraft, achieving TRLs 3-5.
• PHARES Project Pratt & Whitney Canada-led hybrid-electric propulsion consortium targeting up to 20% improved fuel efficiency on regional aircraft missions, with ATR providing regional aircraft platform integration and Collins Aerospace contributing hybrid-electric propulsion expertise.
• Pax Cabin Demonstrator Full-scale ground-based test platform for regional turboprop aircraft featuring biocomposite interior panels, achieving 8% weight reduction for major cabin components and projected 22% fuel savings over a 30-year aircraft lifespan.
• FASTER-H2 Project Project advancing hydrogen-powered short- and medium-haul aviation by uniting industry, research institutes and universities with access to specialist hydrogen testing facilities.
• HERACLES & DEMETRA Hybrid-electric regional aircraft flight demonstrator projects forming part of the anatomy of an ultra-efficient regional aircraft.
• Clean Aviation Call 4 for Proposals Fourth competitive call for proposals distributing EU research funding to aerospace consortia, with topics covering ultra-efficient short-medium range aircraft, hydrogen power, regional aircraft, and transverse activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions from open-fan engine technology
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• CFM (Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aerospace)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026Franco-American aerospace company CFM (joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aerospace) leading the EU-funded TAKE OFF project backed by €100 million from Clean Aviation. The project aims to advance open-fan engine technology achieving a 60:1 bypass ratio, potentially reducing fuel consumption and emissions by up to 20 percent.
• AirbusflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026Airbus is a key partner in the TAKE OFF project for open-fan engine development. The project includes a flight test campaign using an Airbus A380 targeted for 2029, with goal of commercial operations by around 2035.
• Rolls-RoyceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Rolls-Royce secured a €64 million grant from Clean Aviation to lead the UNIFIED consortium developing and ground testing the UltraFan 30 narrowbody engine demonstrator, with testing scheduled for 2028. The multinational consortium includes partners from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
• GKN AerospacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2026GKN Aerospace is part of the 25-partner consortium led by Safran Aircraft Engines for the TAKE OFF open-fan engine project, contributing to development of advanced propulsion technologies.
• Avio AerocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2026Avio Aero is one of 25 partners in the Safran-led TAKE OFF consortium developing the open-fan engine architecture targeting 20% fuel efficiency improvement.
• GKN AerospacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2026GKN Aerospace led the MANTA (MovAbles for Next generaTion Aircraft) program, successfully completing it with demonstration of four advanced morphing control surface technologies. Partners included NLR, DLR, TU Delft, and ASCO, achieving TRLs 3-5.
• Pratt & Whitney CanadaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2025Pratt & Whitney Canada, an RTX business, leads the PHARES (Powerplant Hybrid Application REgional Segment) project, marking the first time a Canadian company leads a Clean Aviation program. The project targets up to 20% improved fuel efficiency on regional aircraft missions.
• Collins AerospacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2025Collins Aerospace collaborates with Pratt & Whitney Canada in the PHARES consortium, contributing hybrid-electric propulsion expertise to the regional aircraft project.
• ATRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2025ATR is a consortium partner in the PHARES project, providing regional aircraft platform integration for the hybrid-electric propulsion demonstrator.
• LeonardocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2025Leonardo partnered in the Clean Sky 2 Passenger Cabin Demonstrator, a full-scale ground-based test platform for regional turboprop aircraft featuring biocomposite interior panels tested at Leonardo and Fraunhofer facilities in Italy and Germany respectively.
• FraunhofercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2025Fraunhofer collaborated on the Passenger Cabin Demonstrator project, contributing to flammability testing and biocomposite panel development, with the project reaching TRL 6.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clean_aviation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=c-hFMiFsDsE&list=PLL-rQT06nC9WA0OE8cWpDDWHzAlWe6qfz&index=1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clean-aviation-joint-undertaking

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments2 records

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Frequently asked questions about Clean Aviation