Solvay, as part of a group of Belgian companies with aerospace activities, and U.S. company Lockheed Martin today signed a cooperation agreement to foster Belgium's research and innovation linked to advanced composite materials for the aerospace industry.

This agreement has been signed in the frame of the so-called ESI (essential security interests) measures linked to the Belgian F-35 program contract. The Belgian government's selection of the F-35 entails cooperation throughout the Belgian aeronautics ecosystem of companies and universities with Lockheed Martin.

The cooperation agreement will be signed by Solvay CEO Ilham Kadri and CEOs or senior executives of Lockheed Martin, Asco Industries, Coexpair, Feronyl, Sabca, Safran Aero Boosters, Sonaca and Thales Belgium, in the presence of Federal Minister of Economy Nathalie Muylle and U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Ronald Gidwitz at Solvay's headquarters.

The purpose of this agreement is to detail the process of selecting R&I projects involving Belgian universities and industry partners in the field of advanced composite materials for aerospace applications such as the development of next-generation composite materials, repair techniques and bonding metal with composites. Projects will last 12 to 24 months and the university teams with the most innovative and effective solutions will be eligible for design awards.

In this context, Solvay will make its brand new Customer Engagement Centre available to these projects. This center is connected to the Group's Product Development Center in Alpharetta, US, dedicated to the research & development of high-performance polymers and thermoplastic composites. Solvay is investing heavily in the industrialization of advanced materials that are seeing increased demand from the sustainable mobility markets. Through lightweighting and design freedom they enable reduced CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

Solvay is forging closer connections with external partners including start-ups, research centers and universities to foster a unique research & innovation ecosystem. The Customer Engagement Centre is part of Solvay's ambition to turn its Brussels Campus into an open innovation hub for high-technology and sustainable solutions in chemistry and advanced materials.