Innovation Strategy

Innovation is one of the key areas EADS is focusing on as growth drivers for the future. EADS has established various programmes of cooperation with universities and scientific organisations to develop jointly new technologies, and is continuously evaluating new opportunities to extend partnerships in this area.

“EADS’ innovation strategy aims at increasing competitiveness
and profitability through promoting an innovation continuously
improving quality of services and products as well as efficiency of
processes.”

The Chief Technical Officer’s mission is to be the EADS focal point for R&T. The CTO ensures that business strategy and technology strategy are closely linked and he is responsible for the development of design and manufacturing tools and innovation across EADS. The CTO is a member of the EADS Executive Committee and he has the responsibility for the entire R&T budget and R&T production within EADS.

The CTO delivers shareholder value through a stringent, leading-edge R&T portfolio that enables flawless introduction of new technologies on future products with strong returns-on-investment. He also aims to maximise customer excitement by providing high-value solutions that meet the technological, performance, safety, and cost-competitive pressures that challenge the Company’s future. In addition, he addresses societal responsibilities with solutions answering the paramount considerations of safety, security, environmental compatibility and energy efficiency.

The EADS Executive Technical Council (“ETC”), chaired by the CTO, is made up of the technical directors of the Divisions. The ETC is responsible for ensuring alignment with the Group’s technology strategy and implementation through the Group R&T road map. The ETC ensures that a balance is maintained between the top-down strategic guidance and bottom-up expertise, creativity and responsibility. It meets regularly to discuss and decide forward strategies and it identifies synergies.

Group Innovation Networks and their leaders (“GINs” 1-5) in the CTO’s team are in place and reporting to the Chief Operating Officer Innovation to ensure that the relevant actions are implemented and that synergies are exploited throughout the EADS Divisions and the EADS Innovation Works. The COO Innovation is chairman of the R&T Council (“RTC”), which is made up of the R&T Directors of the Divisions/Business Units, the GIN’s, the Head of CTO R&T Strategy, the Head of CTO Finance and the Head of EADS IP Management. The RTC prepares the work of the ETC and assures the operational implementation of the R&T plan and its deliverables.

The CTO steers the EADS-wide harmonisation of transversal technical processes, methods and tools, and skills development programmes, such as Systems Engineering, common tools for Product Life-Cycle Management (PLM/Phenix) and Systems Engineering Training and Qualification. He also carries out specific technical assessments on behalf of the CEO and the EADS Executive Committee.

The head of the EADS Innovation Works reports to the CTO. Innovation Works are in charge of the corporate R&T production facilities that guarantee the Group’s technical innovation potential with a focus on the long-term horizon. Driven by the EADS R&T strategy, they identify new technologies that will create value and competitive advantages. The EADS Innovation Works have two main sites in Paris and Munich and employ approximately 600 people including doctorates and university interns. Proximity centres are maintained in Toulouse, Nantes and Hamburg to support the knowledge transfer to BUs in these locations. A liaison office is operating in Moscow, which facilitates relations with Russian scientific institutes. EADS operates a R&T centre in Singapore and also launched a centre in Spain and in 2007, in the U.K.

The corporate EADS Innovation Works and the EADS R&T community in the Divisions maintain and expand established academic research partnerships with leading universities and high-tech engineering schools by employing thesis students, post-graduate interns and doctorate candidates as well as by contracting specific research projects.

Members in the support and R&T enabler groups of the CTO’s organisation ensure that R&T is an integral part of the business, by maintaining strong links with the business development organisation, human resources, finance, intellectual property, standardisation and communication.

Continuous innovation has been the basis of EADS’ success in the past, and the Group is convinced that this will be even more important in the future. Innovation cycles are shortening and new competitors are emerging in all fields of EADS business. To be leading the markets in the future, EADS will always need to be ahead with innovative solutions.

Technological innovation programmes are managed in conjunction with the EADS R&T Network and the EADS CRC as well as through a strong network of top experts in the BUs. EADS aims to make better use of available resources by interacting even more with external scientific and applied research organisations. Such cooperation allows EADS to leverage the resources available in these organisations, which in turn benefit from EADS’ systems knowledge.

To increase the added value of the Group, the team of the EADS Chief Technology Officer promotes the sharing within the Group of all the knowledge of the BUs and the sharing of resources, skills and research means and budget to develop new knowledge, while respecting existing contractual and legal frameworks.

For example, all the contracts between BUs of the Group concerning shared R&T must have provisions allowing for the flow of knowledge (EADS R&T Network rules).

Besides the major projects under development, all products in serial production are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis.

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
Le Carré · Beechavenue 130-132 · 1119 PR Schiphol Rijk · The Netherlands

EADS Deutschland GmbH · 81663 Munich · Germany
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EADS CASA · Ava. de Aragón, 404, 28022 Madrid · Spain