A new project at Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University, funded by a $1m grant from the US Department of
Commerce through its Economic Development Administration (EDA), is expected to
create 387 new jobs and spur $1.6m in private investment.
On Dec. 11, US Secretary of
Commerce Wilbur Ross
announced that a $1m award to Embry-Riddle will be used to establish a new
aviation and engineering research center in Florida. Specifically, the grant
will “help build the Applied Aviation and Engineering Research Hangar in Volusia
County,” the US Department of Commerce reported in an official news release.
The new facility will serve as
the new home for Embry-Riddle’s Eagle Flight Research Center, a hub for
engineering research and development.
“Embry-Riddle has a 90-year
legacy of innovation, and our research is shaping the future of human mobility,”
said University President Dr. P. Barry
Butler. “We are pleased and honored to
receive this research award to advance innovation, economic development and job
growth in Florida.”
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross
said: “This project is the product of local leader’s efforts to spur economic
opportunities in Volusia County. “The completion of this project will help
strengthen the region’s aeronautical sector, making the community a potential
destination for both domestic and foreign investment.”
The Commerce Department news
release continued: “The Eagle Flight Research Center will help to foster
innovation in the state’s aeronautical cluster and increase its attractiveness
to the private sector. This project was made possible by the regional planning
efforts led by the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council. EDA funds the
East Central Florida Regional Planning Council to bring together the public and
private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the
regional economy, support capital investment and create jobs.”
Established in 1998, the
Eagle Flight Research Center continues to guide aviation technology into the
future. “Our continuing research will encompass aviation innovation projects
such as alternative propulsion systems, electric and hybrid-electric aircraft,
and electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL aircraft, as well as new
fuels,” said Center Director Richard
'Pat' Anderson. |