Bombardier and the Government of Québec are set to invest in two Canadian aerospace research projects.

The company plans to invest around C$22m ($16.74m) over a three-year period into Aéro21 and the third phase of the Smart Affordable Green Efficient (SA²GE) project.

These research projects will involve aerospace companies, small and medium enterprises, as well as local universities and research centres.

Bombardier chief technology officer François Caza said: “Through this strong alliance between industry, government and researcher partners, we are proud to not only push the limits of technology and build greener, more efficient aircraft but to also increase the competitiveness of the Québec aerospace industry.”

Aéro21 is expected to attract investments worth C$65m ($49.46m) over three years, with a majority of the financing set to come from private firms.

Around 75% of the funds for Aéro21 will be generated from 24 companies, while the Government of Québec will contribute the remaining 25%.

“We are proud to not only push the limits of technology and build greener, more efficient aircraft but to also increase the competitiveness of the Québec aerospace industry.”

With a C$18.75m ($14.26m) investment in Aéro21, Bombardier intends to expand the use of computerised models to test various aircraft systems and components from the design phase through certification.

The move is aimed at ensuring new aerospace products are brought to market at a faster pace and reducing the cost of development.

Launched in 2010 by the government to mobilise greener aircraft, the SA²GE focuses on developing efficient and effective technologies while reducing the environmental footprint of the aerospace industry.

The first phase of the project was undertaken from 2010 to 2015 with participation from industry and academia, while the second phase was launched in 2016.

The third phase comprises four subprojects. One of them, known as Aile intelligente et légère pour l’environnement (AILE), was proposed by Bombardier and four other industry partners.

AILE seeks to develop multifunctional wings for business and commercial aircraft. The project partners will focus on optimising aerodynamics and weight in order to reduce cost and fuel consumption.

Bombardier’s C$3.6m ($2.73m) investment in the sub-project AILE will be matched by the government.