Rolls-Royce has secured €64 million in funding from the European Union’s Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU) to lead UNIFIED (Ultra Novel and Innovative Fully Integrated Engine Demonstrations), a collaborative research programme supporting the development and planned ground testing of the UltraFan 30 demonstrator.
The project will focus on maturing and advancing next-generation propulsion technologies for future narrow-body applications, supporting planned ground testing of the UltraFan 30 demonstrator in 2028 and helping to establish a credible pathway towards a future flight test.
Led by Rolls-Royce, the UNIFIED consortium brings together industrial, academic and research partners from across France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom.
By combining expertise across the European aerospace sector — including the UK through its association with Horizon Europe — the partnership will strengthen industrial capability, enhance supply chain resilience and build the technology readiness required for future narrow-body applications.
Rolls-Royce Director of Research and Technology Alan Newby said:
“UNIFIED is an important step in advancing the UltraFan technologies that could underpin a future narrow-body application. The narrow-body segment is central to global aviation growth, and delivering step-change improvements in efficiency in this market is key to long-term sustainability.
“Through Clean Aviation, we are accelerating technology readiness in collaboration with leading industrial, academic and research partners, strengthening the foundations required for future narrow-body opportunities.”
