FUELING
NEW TECHNOLOGY
By Misha Lujan — Aerospace Futures Alliance
Being an avid reader of this magazine , you may recall an article from last year , when we shared news about the state ’ s Innovation Cluster Accelerator Program ( ICAP ), a Washington State Department of Commerce program supported through the EDA Safe Start Grant .
Misha Lujan Aerospace Futures Alliance Director of Cluster Initiatives
Washington State Dept . of Commerce www . commerce . wa . gov
WASHINGTON STATE DEPT . OF COMMERCE
The goal of the innovation clusters is to drive innovation , overcome barriers , and access new market opportunities , as well as to attract talent and capital . The full ICAP program is currently supporting nine industry-led innovation clusters , one of them being managed by our partner , the Aerospace Future Alliance ( AFA ).* Misha Lujan , director of cluster initiatives , is sharing about all the work she has been involved with in the creation of the new Sustainable Aviation Technologies and Energies ( SATE ) Cluster .
Last fall , the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) gathered in Montreal and adopted a collective long-term global aspirational goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 . While it is true that the aviation industry only contributes two to five percent of global carbon emissions today , that percentage will exponentially increase when commercial travel grows as projected and other sectors decarbonize more rapidly . Airplanes have long life cycles and significant energy requirements . That is why aviation is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize . If the aviation industry hopes to achieve the goals outlined by the ICAO , innovation must accelerate rapidly .
48 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS