The EU's Clean Aviation body is gearing up for its second phase of funding, with €380 million allocated to advance research and innovation in aviation. The third call for proposals, unveiled in December, will distribute the funding across various areas including ultra-efficient short-medium range and regional aircraft architectures, aircraft concept integration, and Fast Track Areas for alternative technical solutions. With a total budget for phase 2 estimated at around €2.3 billion, the focus remains on achieving emissions improvements of at least 30% by 2035 to meet EU Green Deal 2050 climate neutrality goals. However, hydrogen propulsion for short-medium range aircraft has been shelved due to maturity concerns, while hydrogen-powered aircraft are viewed as a separate category with potential for service entry by 2035. Clean Aviation faces challenges of limited funding and ambitious goals, necessitating prioritization of technologies for flight testing and integration into aircraft-level systems. Despite the removal of hydrogen from some applications, the organization continues to push ahead with disruptive propulsion concepts and innovative technologies to drive efficiency improvements in aviation.