Michael Thacker, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology at Pratt & Whitney, described the centre as “a first-of-a-kind facility for Pratt & Whitney in Europe, complementing our existing engineering centers in North America, Poland, and across the globe.” He added, “We see significant potential to grow our activities in the Netherlands, given its strong engineering talent pool and long history of aerospace technology innovation, as well as the exceptional opportunities for collaboration between industry, academia and government agencies.”
ETIC is co-located at Collins Aerospace’s European Innovation Hub and further strengthens RTX’s ties with the Dutch aerospace sector. It follows two memoranda of understanding with the Netherlands Aerospace Group and a master research agreement with Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), creating a framework for joint work on a broad range of aerospace topics.
Professor Henri Werij, Dean of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft, said, “We are thrilled to take this next step in our collaboration with Pratt & Whitney. Working directly with their new team in Houten will strengthen our partnership, and their dedicated office space at the Aerospace Innovation Hub@TUD on the TU Delft Campus will give them seamless access to our innovation ecosystem.”
Tjerk Opmeer, Deputy Director-General for Business and Innovation at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, welcomed the centre’s launch, stating, “I am pleased to see the realization of initiatives like Pratt & Whitney’s European Technology and Innovation Center in the Netherlands. This center has the possibility to enhance our shared vision for accelerating sustainable aviation through innovation and international collaboration.”
Of RTX’s 21,000 employees across 65 European sites, around 300 are based in the Netherlands, primarily at three Collins Aerospace locations including Houten. Pratt & Whitney employs over 7,000 staff in Europe, with most based in Poland at major engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance sites.
