From 20 to 23 October, the Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation welcomed representatives of organisations belonging to the International Forum for Aviation Research (IFAR), chaired by Professor Cezary Szczepański, Director of the Institute. The 17th IFAR Summit, held under the theme Aviation Research in the Age of Intelligent Transformation, coincided with the Institute’s centenary celebrations.
The programme brought together representatives of research institutes and universities from around the world for research presentations, leadership meetings and discussions on artificial intelligence and future cooperation.
A panel on AI in research and engineering was moderated by Dr Beata Lubos, Director of the Centre for International Cooperation and Research Excellence. The panellists were Dr Michał Cyrek of GE Aerospace, Dr Witold Witowski of the Industry Contact Point for Smart and Clean Mobility, and Dr Marcello Amato, Research Director at CIRA. They discussed practical AI applications, barriers to adoption and the readiness of small and medium-sized enterprises to use these tools.
IFAR leadership meetings addressed Working Group activities, member engagement and cooperation with ICAS and ICAO. Bilateral meetings gave participants time to explore shared research interests and opportunities for collaboration between their teams.
The IFAR Café discussions, organised around four topics, explored how AI and autonomy could support aviation research and day-to-day operations. Participants considered applications in data analysis, design and the automation of repetitive tasks. They also discussed the need to verify results, understand the limits of different methods and test solutions under conditions representative of their intended use.
The four days provided an opportunity to compare research priorities across member organisations and discuss proposals for joint activities. We thank all our guests for their participation, thoughtful contributions and for celebrating the Institute of Aviation’s centenary with us.
