The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Forum for Aviation Research (IFAR) have formalized a new agreement aimed at accelerating and improving the effective assessment of new aviation technologies and innovations.
The agreement establishes two new ICAO-IFAR Expert Groups which will review the latest innovations in the areas of urban air mobility and artificial intelligence (AI) in aviation. After their first year, each group will report back to ICAO and IFAR and the two organizations will use the findings to optimize and formalize IFAR’s future contributions to ICAO and international aviation.
The new collaboration will see IFAR’s community supporting ICAO’s activities by sharing its consensus view on current areas of technical challenge and opportunity. In turn, ICAO will augment its ability to engage with and benefit from IFAR’s processes and expectations.
ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu also expressed how developments relating to autonomous aircraft, renewable power and propulsion sources, AI, additive manufacturing, big data, blockchain, autonomous control, and many other exciting developments, are changing the face of aviation today.
The Secretary General commended the leadership and resolve of the research community to work with ICAO to address today’s global challenges. She expressed high expectations on the outcomes of the two expert groups to be presented at IFAR’s 12th summit next year.
“Your ideas and commitments serve to raise global living standards, protect our planet, and ensure improving prosperity for all,” Dr. Liu said. “The COVID-19 crisis has made the power and importance of partnerships more relevant than ever before, and ICAO will look forward to a strong and productive relationship with the IFAR.”
