The RTRA[1] STAE (science and technology for aeronautics and space) is a network of 40 laboratories based in the Occitanie region, with 233 researchers and engineers recruited for projects including 152 post-doctorate research projects since its creation in 2007. Its new director François Vernadat (LAAS-CNRS) who has taken over from Yvan Ségui presented these figures at its annual meeting last autumn.
The RTRA STAE benefited from a total of 25 million euros of investment from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (60%), the Tompasse association that represents companies in the sector (20%) and its academic founder members (CNRS, Cnes, Onera, IRD, Pres University of Toulouse). Its main aim is to produce high quality scientific research that can directly benefit the local aeronautics and space industry. It does this by supporting scientific research, the hosting of foreign researchers and organising forums for reflection and dialogue and consider potential methodologies with respect to their use in addressing technological locks.
Having already moved into IRT Saint Exupéry’s Rangueil premises in 2015, the RTRA STAE’s foundation for scientific cooperation (FCS) is also going to be legally hosted by that of the IRT from the beginning of 2017. The will mean that synergies on activities on intermediate technology maturity (TRL 4-6) being developed by the IRT and its business partners and those more upstream research activities (TRL 1-3) supported by the RTRA STAE’s own research laboratories can be reinforced. It will also mean the joint funding can be sought thanks to this coherence of sector, particularly with regard to the third phase of the French government Programme “Investissements d’Avenir” (Investments for the Future Programme). (PIA3). The RTRA STAE will remain free to make its own scientific decisions.
IRT Saint Exupéry is already directly involved in three studies launched in 2016 and potentially interested in four more.
The 12 studies launched by the RTRA STAE in 2016 which were discussed at its autumn meeting were:
- Ageing mechanisms during the long-term ageing of structural metallic materials / C=VM2 (with IRT Saint Exupéry)
- Toul-Tic: Toulouse irradiation centre (with IRT Saint Exupéry)
- Impulse: simulation tools to design new electrical propulsion systems for the space industry
- Smart morphing and sensing
- IFSE2: technical engineering for embedded systems (with IRT Saint Exupéry)
- IHM Aéro
- SVP: security and privacy
- Sycyph-IdF: the multi-disciplinary challenges in deploying cyber-physical systems in the industry of the future
- Mirap: modelling and uncertainties for evaluating the risk of pollutants being dispersed in the atmosphere
- Mommhys: measures of opportunities for modelling continental hydro-meteorological surfaces
- Simleau: quantifying the natural regulation of water quality in a south hillside
- Syscob: bio-inspired complex systems
[1] Thematic Network for Advanced ResearchRTRA STAE Web Site