On November 30, 2006, gtd, along with other Spanish aeronautical companies (ITP, EADS-CASA, INDRA, CESA, TAM, GMV, Sener, Aernova, and Aries Complex), signed an agreement to create an Economic Interest Grouping (EIG) through which the sector's industries will be able to actively participate in the upcoming EU program: the Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) 'Clean Sky,' one of the main collaboration tools in this area, which will be developed within the European Union's Seventh Framework Program. The signing of the agreement took place at the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, and Trade responsible for managing R&D&I programs in the aeronautical sector. The event was attended by the Director General of the CDTI, Maurici Lucena, as well as senior representatives of the participating companies. Through this agreement, they hope to give Spain a prominent position in the European aeronautical sector. With a budget exceeding €1.7 billion for the period 2007-2013, 'Clean Sky,' a proposal led by the largest European companies in the sector, will provide 'innovative technologies and solutions that will enable the next generation of air transport systems to achieve significant improvements in terms of accessibility, user comfort, and reductions in fuel consumption and the emission of pollutants into the environment,' the CDTI stated in a statement.
