Eurocopter and the National Research Council Canada (NRC) have signed a 10-year agreement to work together to develop innovative research, development and technology solutions for the aerospace industry.

This new agreement is part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between NRC and Eurocopter's parent company EADS in June 2008. "As a global company, EADS with all its divisions is entering into cooperation with high-skilled international partners such as the Canadian R&D community" said Jean Botti, Chief Technical Officer of EADS. "This network of partnerships is boosting the competitiveness of all participants."

Eurocopter and NRC will engage in a series of collaborative aerospace projects, including the development of innovative manufacturing technologies and high-tech flight tests for environmental investigations.

Meanwhile, Eurocopter and NRC will also encourage participation from industry partners in Canada to promote competitiveness and share knowledge.

"Canada is one of the major aeronautics nations in the world, so it is only natural that Eurocopter and the NRC should want to cooperate," said Yves Favennec, Vice-President Research and Innovation of Eurocopter. "We look forward to working together, especially through our local subsidiary, Eurocopter Canada Limited, which has grown extensively over the past years. This new agreement will upgrade the status of our relationship to a formal program with an enhanced spectrum of research work to increase the eco-efficiency of modern helicopters even further."

"This agreement builds on 20 years of research collaborations between NRC and EADS and signals another important step forward in our business partnership," said NRC President Dr. Pierre Coulombe. "Together we will continue to develop technology solutions in the lab for the global marketplace. This helps strengthen Canada's innovation system, benefits the Canada's aerospace supply chain and contributes to a healthy aerospace industry in Canada."