International Eminent Speaker Program 2024

When:  Apr 8, 2024 from 05:30 PM to 08:00 PM (ET)
Associated with  Canberra Division Community

Overview

The Joint Board for Aerospace Engineering invites members, professionals and the general public to attend an upcoming Focus lecture series “Aeronautical Innovation – Swedish and International Perspectives”. These seminars will be held in Newcastle, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane in April 2024.

Swedish aeronautics shows unique strength for a small nation. This is due to long term political neutrality and decision for an independent military capability. However, the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to significant cuts in defence budgets, including R&I funding, over the next several decades. In order to maintain technical knowledge and competitive position, a national strategic innovation programme for aeronautics, INNOVAIR was established in 2013/2014 and is still running.

This presentation will discuss how the innovation system was strengthened by involving both regional, national, bilateral (prioritized countries by export or excellence criteria), and multinational aspects (European framework programme and joint technology demonstrators) into the same strategy for all the actors involved, i.e. academia, institutes, SMEs, and large industries. Both civil and military aeronautics is considered from TRL 1-9. The importance of balanced activities at all TRL for all the relevant technologies involved are highlighted in order to have products today, demonstrators for next generation, and research for generation n+1. The importance of “optimised” systems integration is also clarified. The second part of the lecture considers the present aeronautical situation in Europe in detail, and the rest of the world in generalised terms, and discusses future issues including greening of aircraft (electric, hydrogen, and new fuels) and paradigm changes in future fighter systems. If time permits, more in depth aspects of structures and materials will be covered from design principles through material selection to certification.

Event program 

Each event will follow the below program: 

  • 5.30–6.00 pm: Registrations open and networking commences with light refreshments 
  • 6.00–7.00 pm: Presentation commences
  • 7.00–7.15 pm: Interactive Q&A session
  • 7.15–8.00 pm: Networking 
  • 8.00 pm: Event concludes

About the speaker

Professor Anders Blom
Vice President, The Council of European Aerospace Societies
Biography

Professor Blom PhD DSc has more than40 years of experience in aeronautical R&I. His background includes positions as head of fatigue and fracture, head of structures and materials, head of aeronautics, and research director at the Aeronautical Research Institute of Sweden and Swedish Defence Research Agency from 1980–2020. He was also adjunct professor at the Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Lightweight Structures and Department of Aeronautics, 1987–1996.

He is currently Vice President of The Council of European Aerospace Societies, National Council Member of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Swedish representative – appointed by Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation – in Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe (ACARE) General Assembly, President International Steering Committee for International Fatigue Congress, and Chairman of the Board for the Swedish Aerospace Research Center.

He has been a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences since 1994. His previous positions include Board member of the Association of European Research Establishments in Aeronautics, and International Forum for Aviation Research, Head – appointed by Ministry of Defence – of the Swedish Garteur (Group for Aeronautical Research and Technology in Europe) delegation. He is the National Technical Expert at the European Defence Agency Cap Tech ESM02 (Air Systems and their Environment), was the Swedish national delegate to the International Committee on Aeronautical Fatigue and Structural Integrity (ICAF) from 1985–2005 and General Secretary of ICAF from 2005–2017. He was the Director Innovair, the Swedish strategic innovation programme for aeronautics, which runs research and demonstrator programs for both civil and military aeronautics and involves all national actors, from its start to 2022, and a Board member of Aerospace Cluster Sweden.

Anders Blom is a recognised expert in structural integrity and has received a number of awards including:

  • Thulin silver (1997) and gold (2016) medals from the Swedish Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics together with the Royal Swedish Academy of the Engineering Sciences.
  • F.J. Plantema Award by ICAF in 2001.
  • US Air Force Lincoln Award for Aircraft Structural Integrity in 2016.
  • ICAS 2018 von Karman Award for the International Cooperation performed in ICAF over the years.
  • EREA Award for outstanding contributions in 2019.
  • ICAS Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Award 2022, for outstanding contribution.

Contact

Canberra Division

[email protected]