FutureFlight
New Airbus Scale Innovation Unit Could Boost Technology Breakthroughs
The new innovation hub was announced this week by Airbus's newly appointed chief technical officer.
Airbus Vahana
The Vahana technology demonstrator flown by Airbus innovation unit Acubed in 2019 paved the way for the group's new CityAirbus Next Gen eVTOL, and its new Airbus Scale innovation hub is expected to spur further internal and external technology initiatives. (Photo: Airbus)

Airbus is launching an innovation hub that the aerospace group says will act as a fulcrum for nurturing new technologies, engaging with start-ups, and developing activities to support its recovery from the Covid pandemic. The Airbus Scale unit, which was announced on November 3, is intended to complement the company’s existing incubator units, including the Silicon Valley-based Acubed, the Airbus China Innovation Centre in Shenzhen, and the Airbus UpNext technology demonstrator unit.

According to Airbus, the new unit will build on the experience gained in both internal and external innovation work over the past seven years through its BizLab initiative. The company says Airbus Scale will seek to stimulate entrepreneurial initiatives by the group’s own employees (so-called "intrapreneurship"), as well as partnerships with external start-ups.