Jun 16 2009
Aéro Montréal, Greater Montréal's aerospace cluster, is a strategic forum that brings together all the major decision makers in the region's aerospace sector, announced today, during the International Paris Air Show Le Bourget that it will hold a 2nd edition of the Aerospace Innovation Forum in Montreal on December 7 and 8, 2009 on the theme Aerospace Clusters: A World of Innovation.
This Forum, organized by Aero Montreal in collaboration with the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec (CRIAQ), is entirely dedicated to aerospace innovation. It targets players in the Québec, Canadian and international industry, university representatives, research centres, public decision makers, students and specialized journalists. "The ingenuity and power of innovation that distinguishes Québec's aerospace sector is a truly world-class model of excellence and it's important to maintain this competitive advantage," said Marc Parent, Chairman of the Board of Aéro Montreal and Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of CAE inc., a major force in the Montreal aerospace industry. "This 2nd Aerospace Innovation Forum reflects the determination of the industry to preserve these strengths."
"The Québec government recognizes the scale of investments that the industry continues to make in research and development despite challenges posed by the current economic crisis," said Pierre Arcand, Québec Minister of International Relations and Minister Responsible for the Francophonie, during a visit to the Paris Air Show. "We intend to continue to work together with various players in our industry to foster their development and maintain Québec's leadership in the global aerospace industry."
"By holding this Forum, the only one of its kind, the aerospace cluster is taking advantage of the slower pace of production to develop the next generation of technologies that will be incorporated in the future aerospace programs," said Suzanne M. Benoît, CEO of Aéro Montréal. "The participation of international experts in the event will enable us to identify major global trends in aerospace innovation and develop action plans for our industry to remain competitive against international competitors."
The Forum's preliminary program features conferences and workshops on best practices in leading innovation clusters and on the current and future strategic challenges faced by existing and emerging aerospace clusters around the world. A poster session exhibit on new technologies and a serie of B2B meetings will also held to give participants a comprehensive overview of technology developments and business opportunities.
Specialized workshops on future technology platforms will be presented by international experts. Among some of the themes covered will be the Environment (reductions in noise, hazardous materials, fuel consumption), Advanced Materials (thermosets, liquid composite moulding, advanced metallic alloys, thermoplastics, nano materials), Human Performance Augmentation (synthetic training environments, human machine interface), Avionics (synthetic vision system and "fly-by-wire/light") and Air Traffic Management.