EADS has signed a long- term partnership agreement with the Russian Academy of Sciences and the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University (SPb SPU), which expresses the common interests and basic principles of cooperation in Research and Technology (R&T). The agreement is also open for other scientific institutions.

The parties will jointly identify specific R&T projects to be fulfilled by EADS in areas such as advanced simulation capabilities, virtual testing, flight physics, structure and noise reduction. Specific projects in line with these directions will be proposed by a new Research Council, which will be created in the framework of this agreement. With this agreement, EADS is aiming to extend its positive experience in R&T cooperation with its long-term partner, IRIAS, to other institutes. This enhanced network allows the company to move to large scale multidisciplinary projects.

In 2003, EADS established the Russian Technology Office (RTO) to facilitate cooperation with the Russian research and development community. The company currently uses RTO as the focal point for R&T projects with Russian partners. As a locally-based technology acquisition and project management unit, the RTO acts in the interest of EADS and all its divisions. Benefiting from years of experience and well-established relationships in Russia, EADS RTO has developed an effective management approach to project acquisition and management.