Newswise — Officials with The University of Alabama in Huntsville and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Inc. have signed a formal agreement to forge a stronger research collaboration.
UAHuntsville President David Williams and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) President James Maser put their signature on a Research Collaboration Protocol agreement under which cooperative activities and projects would be undertaken to leverage and strengthen the research, education, innovation and strategic missions of the two organizations.
"These types of industry-university collaborations are going to be playing an increasingly important role in creating innovation in a number of areas — science engineering, business and technology transfer," said Dr. Williams. "The research and development activities of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne are closely aligned with those of the university, thus giving us the confidence that this partnership will be of tremendous benefit to both organizations.
"We anticipate that this partnership will serve as a model for other companies and we can aggressively broaden our collaborations in teaching, research and workforce development."
Williams noted that PWR has developed substantial and valuable expertise, and intellectual property.
"PWR has valuable engineering expertise using sophisticated analysis techniques and tools, and we wish to share our skills and assets to maximize our cooperative research and development efforts with this excellent university," Maser said.
"We established our PoWeR Innovations group here in Huntsville as a fast-moving, creative and innovative organization to help us expand into new business areas and position us to rapidly capitalize on emerging opportunities. Partnering with a research university to carry out this mission will have a great impact on our success," Maser said.
He added that UAHuntsville offers a quality education in science, engineering and business to better compete in a globally competitive workforce. He said the university possesses strengths with R&D expertise, has suitable laboratory space and offers an entrepreneurial curriculum to capitalize on the development of intellectual property.
The goal of the partnership is to establish and sustain a framework where cooperative activities and projects can inspire, leverage and optimize research, education, innovation and strategic missions for both parties
"Huntsville has been a large part of our past success, and this unique partnership is a testament to our commitment to this area which is a great place to grow our business," said Rick Bachtel, general manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Alabama Operations. "We want to establish and sustain a framework where cooperative activities and projects would be undertaken that would inspire, leverage, and optimize the research, education, innovation strengths and strategic missions of both parties."
Scott Claflin is director of the company's PoWeR Innovations group. He said, "doing high-risk, high-payoff research and development in pursuit of solutions to some of our nation's most difficult challenges in our group's mission, and UAHuntsville is the perfect fit for us in this endeavor. We look forward to developing a great relationship with our new partners."
Today's agreement also calls for the establishment of the Venture Challenge. This program, led by UAHuntsville marketing professor Dr. David Berkowitz, will evaluate PWR's intellectual property for business value and opportunities. This program will, at the same time, provide academic opportunities for the university's students.
The university will provide office and laboratory space as well as support for the company's personnel to encourage collaboration on planning, research and development activities. That support includes access to academic expertise to collaborate in business opportunities.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will provide technical and business expertise to support the university's academic activities and the development of business and technical opportunities.
The company's monetary contribution will be used for the university's Venture Challenge program, along with engineering scholarships.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a doctoral-granting, "high research activity" institution with more than 7,200 students. The university serves as the anchor tenant in Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in the United States. UAHuntsville prepares students for demanding positions in Engineering, the Sciences, Business, Nursing, and the Liberal Arts. Refer to www.uah.edu for information about the university, and its academic and research programs.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacturer and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high-technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries, and is the parent company of Pratt & Whitney.
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