The Eagle Flight Research Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida is to receive a US$1m grant from the US Government for a planned research center.
The grant, which is being made by 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, said the university.
The funding will be used to help establish a new applied aviation and engineering research hangar in Volusia County, Florida. This will serve as the new home for Embry-Riddle’s Eagle Flight Research Center, a hub for engineering research and development.
Dr P Barry Butler, president of Embry-Riddle University, said, “Embry-Riddle has a 90-year legacy of innovation, and our research is shaping the future of human mobility.
“We are pleased and honored to receive this research award to advance innovation, economic development and job growth in Florida.”
US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said, “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 Eagle Flight Research Center, which was founded in 1998, will help to foster innovation in the state’s aeronautical cluster and increase its attractiveness to the private sector. It conducts testing and development of a number of aviation technologies.
Richard “Pat” Anderson, Eagle Flight Research Center director, said, “Our continuing research will encompass aviation innovation projects such as alternative propulsion systems, electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, and electric vertical take-off and landing,
or electric VTOL aircraft, as well as new fuels.”
