Submitting Research Proposal

 

Please read carefully our Scope and Conditions prior to submitting your proposal. The proposal template can be found at the bottom of this page.

 

Scope

The research proposal should focus on innovations in sustainable aviation; more specific, innovations that contribute to improving battery (hybrid) electric or hydrogen powered aircraft operations. With aircraft operations we mean operating the aircraft both in the air as well as on the ground. The latter means that we also include innovations that relate to ground infrastructure and handling of these aircraft. Regarding flight operations, also topics such as the sound level exposure or passenger experience can be considered.

The innovation can be tested on the Pipistrel, under the condition that nothing physical is changed to the aircraft (due to certification). The innovation does not have to be solely applicable to Pipistrel aircraft or similar models. Rather, it would be great that the innovation also adds value to electric or other types of revolutionary aircraft that will come into service later on. 

A jury consisting of representors of the aerospace sector in The Netherlands will evaluate the proposals on their feasibility, relevance and to what extent the innovation is scalable towards the future. The jury consists of the following persons:

• Ron Louwerse, CEO Rotterdam The Hague Airport
• Prof. Dr. Fulvio Scarano, full professor and chair of Aerodynamics TU Delft
• Tine Tomažič, CTO Pipistrel Vertical Solutions
• Marieke Smit, AHEV program manager Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
• Martin Nagelsmit, Programme Manager Electric Flight Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR)
• Robert de Muynck, Test Pilot Pipistrel Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR)

 

Your proposal will be evaluated on the following aspects:

• Impact of the solution on aspects such as endurance, energy savings, etc.
• Feasibility, based on the technology that has to be developed, the budget that is required, risks (in terms of safety).
• Future proof; innovation is scalable to other aircraft and is also relevant for the coming years.

 

The winner(s) of the X-Prize will be rewarded with a budget of expert hours, the possibility to carry out an experiment on Pipistrel and guidance.

Ideally the research proposal would fit an internship (3-6 months) or thesis (6-9 months) assignment. The research can be performed individually or as a team. If you wish to do so, make this clear in your proposal how you envision this.

Conditions

The following conditions apply:

 

• No structural changes to the aircraft or its powertrain are allowed. So no changes to the wings, prop, batteries, etc.
• Any equipment (max. 10 kg) that is taken onboard of the aircraft, needs to be assessed beforehand on being of no influence on the functioning of the aircraft. A EMC/EMI confidence check shall be part of the safety assessment
• Under all circumstances, safety of the operation is leading. A safety assessment will be a pre-requisite of any test.
• NLR has the mandate to postpone or cancel the operation if there is reason to. The captain always has the final call on execution of the operation.
• NLR provides hours of expertise for guidance and execution of the research where necessary (e.g. one hour of flying Pipistrel)
• NLR can provide some measurements hardware, e.g. noise measurements or flight data recordings.

 

The required format for the research proposal can be found in the tab 'Submit Proposal'.

 

To submit your proposal, please use the form below.

X-Prize proposal submission form final.docx

Submit your research proposal for the LLEF X-Prize by emailing your idea in the provided submission form to electricflightlab@nlr.nl.

 

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