UK quest for environmentally friendly engine.

The UK government is investing more than 40 million [pounds sterling] to help the UK aerospace industry take a significant step towards developing environmentally-friendly engines with reduced noise, fuel burn, carbon and nitrogen emissions. Environmentally Friendly Engine (EFE) is a 95 million [pounds sterling] collaborative industrial research programme, led by Rolls-Royce, to help design and test the technology needed for a new generation of gas turbine engines over the next decade. EFE is part of the UK's National Aerospace Technology Strategy.

After completion of computer-led design and development engineering work, components will be made and performance tested, initially mainly those in the hot end of the engine, including combustion and turbine parts. Industrial partners will also be manufacturing different test components at their bases across the country, which will then be brought together in a full engine demonstrator and tested at Rolls Royce's Bristol facility.

The Technology Strategy Board provided 30 million [pounds sterling] for the project as part of Government's desire to drive forward innovation and applied technology to benefit the UK economy. Funding is also being provided by the Regional Development Agencies and the Devolved Administration in Northern Ireland, with the remaining 50% of the funding provided by industry partners.

EFE will be a significant step towards helping achieving goals set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics in Europe (ACARE) of reducing aircraft C[O.sub.2] emissions by 50% per passenger kilometre, NOx emissions by 80%, and perceived noise by 50% by 2020, using 2000 levels as a baseline.

The consortium for the programme includes Bombardier Aerospace, Goodrich Corporation, HS Marston Aerospace and Unison Engine Components. The universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Loughborough, Oxford, Queens Belfast and Sheffield are also participating.

The EFE project, which will run until 2010, will also benefit regional areas, enabling regions to develop key clusters of technical expertise and individual companies to benefit from an expansion of their technology networks.