Skip to main content

Rolls-Royce secures €64m to advance UltraFan 30 demonstrator through UNIFIED partnership | Rolls-Royce

Alert

Close
Home
Media
Press releases
Rolls-Royce secures €64m to advance UltraFan 30 demonstrator through UNIFIED partnership

17 March 2026

Rolls-Royce has secured €64million 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 project 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 narrowbody applications, supporting planned ground testing of the UltraFan 30 demonstrator in 2028 and helping establish a credible pathway toward future flight test.  

Led by Rolls-Royce, the UNIFIED consortium brings together industrial, academia 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 wtih Horizon Europe, the partnership will strengthen industrial capability, enhance supply chain resilience and build the technology readiness required for future narrowbody applications.   

Rolls-Royce Director of Research and Technology Alan Newby said:

Select Tabs

UNIFIED is an important step in advancing the UltraFan technologies that could underpin a future narrowbody application. The narrowbody 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, academia and research partners - strengthening the foundations required for future narrowbody opportunities.” 

Clean Aviation Head of Unit Project Management María Calvo Blanco added:

Select Tabs

We value our long-standing partnership with Rolls-Royce, which builds on previous research programmes and a focus within Clean Aviation on scalable UltraFan architecture, starting with HEAVEN and followed by UNIFIED.  

“The contribution of UNIFIED to the development of ultra-high bypass ratio technology will be a decisive step towards the goal of a 30% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (compared to 2020 state-of-the-art technology) for short-medium range aircraft entering into service in 2035. In this way, project partners help advance new propulsion technologies that can play a key role in securing a sustainable and competitive aviation sector.” 

The UNIFIED consortium partners and representatives from the Clean Aviation Programme Management Unit recently attended a formal kick-off meeting in the UK to share overall programme plans, objectives and progress on initial activities in the project.  

The funding forms part of the European Union’s wider Clean Aviation call 3, which is investing around €945million in total research effort across selected projects to accelerate the development of sustainable aviation technologies.  

The UNIFIED project participants include: Rolls Royce, Airbus, ITP Aero, Lufthansa Technik, TU Darmstadt, Imperial College London, DLR, NLR, ONERA, INSA Lyon &  Aerospace Transmissions Technologies. 

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
  1. Rolls-Royce is a force for progress; powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere. Our products and service packages help our customers meet the growing need for power across multiple industries; enable governments to equip their armed forces with the power required to protect their citizens; and connect people, societies, cultures and economies together.
  2. Rolls-Royce has a local presence in 47 countries and customers in over a hundred more, including airlines and aircraft leasing companies, armed forces and navies, and marine and industrial customers.
  3. Through our multi-year transformation programme, we are building a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing Rolls-Royce. We are building the financial capacity and agility to allow us to successfully develop and deliver the products that will support our customers through the energy transition.
  4. Annual underlying revenue was £20.1 billion in 2025, and underlying operating profit was £3.46 billion.
  5. Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a publicly traded company (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY, LEI: 213800EC7997ZBLZJH69).
    www.rolls-royce.com
About Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking

The Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking is the European Union’s leading research and innovation programme for transforming aviation towards a sustainable and climate-neutral future. It is a successful European public-private partnership between the European Commission through Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme, and the European aeronautics industry. It has a budget of €4.1 billion divided into €1.7 billion in EU funding and no less than €2.4 billion in private funding.  

The programme’s disruptive clean aviation technologies will help reduce the emission footprint of short-medium range and regional aircraft by no less than 30% compared to 2020 state-of-the-art aircraft. Clean Aviation builds on the knowledge and expertise of the Clean Sky programmes (2008-2024).  

News and stories

Our alert service delivers the latest press releases, stories and regulatory news directly to your mailbox

Register

Contacts

Can we help? Contact a member of our press team for more information

Contact
More about:

A force for progress;
powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.







© Rolls-Royce plc . All rights reserved.

Follow Us
Stay in Touch

Sign up to get the latest news

Contact us

Vulnerability Reporting