Newswise — The North Dakota Centers of Excellence Commission has approved $320,000 to establish the Center for Technologically Innovative Products and Processes (CTIPP) at North Dakota State University, Fargo. Initially, the CTIPP will partner with industrial companies such as Mid-America Aviation, Amity Technology, and Arkema, Inc., assisting with product research, testing, evaluation and analysis.
The new Center stems from requests from private sector partners of existing NDSU Centers of Excellence to engage in commercially-relevant research projects involving the entire product supply chain, including: material design and selection, researching process improvements, testing and evaluating product prototypes, analyzing product failure, and research to improve products. The Center will focus on market-driven research to enhance products, reduce production costs, and improve processes.
Center partners will utilize NDSU’s expertise in such areas as materials characterization, corrosion research, chemistry and engineering. Another goal of the program is to promote the use of technological developments that have a cost effective, but positive environmental effect in the energy industrial cluster in western North Dakota.
Initial partners in this new Center of Research Excellence at NDSU include: Mid-America Aviation, a leader in the aerospace industry based in West Fargo, N.D., Amity Technology, a leader in agricultural equipment applications, in Fargo, N.D., and Arkema, Inc., a global producer of industrial chemicals, performance products and vinyl products, based in King of Prussia, Pa., that is developing products to better serve the needs wind-based energy production, a growing energy segment in North Dakota.
The three initial private sector partners have committed cash and in-kind match contributions totaling $640,000 for the new research Center.
“The Center of Research Excellence program will provide substantial benefit to Mid-America Aviation by enabling us to leverage the great facilities and personnel at North Dakota State University to provide research support for our development of new overhaul and manufacturing technologies,” said Randall D. Herman, chief operating officer, Mid-America Aviation, West Fargo, N.D. “This partnership with the state of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, and Mid-America Aviation represents the best possible utilization of public and private resources to enhance business opportunities in our region, to grow our business, and to provide better employment opportunities to our workforce.”
CTIPP will also enable NDSU students to participate in industrially relevant research. “This new industrial research Center offers opportunities for both industry and students,” said Philip Boudjouk, vice president for research at NDSU. “It will conduct commercially-relevant research driven by the market, helping companies solve product supply chain problems, while giving students substantial research experience in this business sector.”
The new Center will work with industrial partners from the beginning of the industrial supply chain through to finished products.
About Centers of Research ExcellenceNorth Dakota’s Centers of Research Excellence are hubs of research and development partnering with private companies to commercialize new products and services. The program is overseen by the Centers of Excellence Commission comprised of members from the State Board of Higher Education and the Economic Development Foundation. www.NDCommerce.com
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