Relocation of the EUROCONTROL Innovation Hub to the Paris-Saclay Innovation Playground

The 41 EUROCONTROL Member States have agreed to the relocation of the EUROCONTROL Innovation Hub (EIH) to the Paris-Saclay Innovation Playground. The project will see EUROCONTROL build a new, state-of-the-art simulation and innovation centre at the EU’s major new innovation hub, located just outside Paris.

Aviation is facing a series of major challenges. Demand for civil air traffic is expected to continue to grow, military requirements are increasing and new entrants such as drones or higher airspace operations need to be integrated into an increasingly saturated network. In parallel, the requirement to reach NetZero by 2050 is an existential issue for the industry.

To address these challenges, EUROCONTROL has a strategic need to strengthen its own research and innovation services for the benefit of its Member States and stakeholders. The ambition is to evolve the existing EUROCONTROL Innovation Hub into a centre for collaborative innovation for European aviation. To reach this ambition, EIH requires new, dynamic, sustainable facilities, and an easily accessible location within a strong innovation ecosystem.

The Paris-Saclay Innovation Playground, one of the top 8 innovation clusters worldwide and the top cluster in the EU, is the ideal location for the centre. Hosting the Paris-Saclay University, more than 700 start-ups, major aviation organisations and businesses such as Airbus and Thales. Access to this ecosystem will support the Agency’s drive to recruit and retain a dynamic workforce as well as facilitate the strategic partnerships needed to drive EUROCONTROL’s innovation activities for the coming decades.

“People, technology and innovation are at the heart of the EUROCONTROL project. This new site will allow us to continue to be leaders in innovation while supporting our Member States from one of the most dynamic and exciting R&I areas in the world.”

Raúl Medina DIRECTOR GENERAL, EUROCONTROL

“We are very honoured and excited by the choice of EUROCONTROL to set up its new Innovation Hub at the heart of our international cluster of Paris-Saclay. We are convinced that EUROCONTROL will benefit from – and bring a lot to - our rich academic and industrial innovation ecosystem, giving birth to unique partnership opportunities. Besides, Paris-Saclay offers a comprehensive environment to welcome the families of international employees including a new hospital and an international public high school, but also first-quality family housing programs, just 20mn away from Paris and 13 minutes away from Orly international airport by September 2026 with the new line 18 of the Grand Paris Express”.

“Paris-Saclay conurbation is very proud to welcome EUROCONTROL in the heart of our scientific cluster. Paris-Saclay is an attractive and dynamic ecosystem. Thanks to its scientific rich ecosystem, it is among the world's greatest hubs and has significant influence at the regional, national, and international levels. Its numerous assets give it a potential with few equivalents in the world, bringing together academic institutions, research centers, and globally well-known businesses. Thanks to the concentration of major groups, innovative SMEs associated with a world-class university center (13th in the Shanghai Ranking), Paris-Saclay is one of the eight largest innovation clusters in the world, according to MIT."

Grégoire de Lasteyrie PRESIDENT, PARIS-SACLAY CONURBATION

Read the press release