Facility Being Built In Ohio's "Aerospace Hub"
GE Aviation broke ground Thursday on its new Electrical Power
Integrated Systems Research and Development Center (EPISCENTER) on
the University of Dayton campus in Dayton, Ohio. The $51 million
center will be built on about eight acres on the University of
Dayton's campus on River Park Drive.
"GE's new R&D center will be the southern anchor to the Ohio
Aerospace Hub of Innovation and Opportunity," said Lorraine
Bolsinger, president and CEO of GE Aviation Systems. "This location
and future facility will help all stakeholders in attracting high
caliber engineering talent. The center will be a catalyst for new
contracts and products resulting in job growth at the EPISCENTER
and at GE locations such as Vandalia."
The University is working with CityWide Development Corp. to
build the facility to GE's specifications. GE is finalizing a
long-term lease agreement with the University of Dayton and
CityWide. The 120,000 square foot facility is expected to be
completed by the third quarter of 2012 and operational by the end
of 2012.
"Without a doubt, it's extraordinary for a Fortune 100
corporation to build a multi-million-dollar research facility on a
college campus in today's economic climate," said Daniel J. Curran,
president of the University of Dayton. "Our researchers will work
side by side with GE scientists and engineers to develop electrical
power systems and technologies. The applications are numerous
— from next-generation power systems for
aircraft to longer-range electric cars. Even smarter utility power
grids for more efficient delivery of electricity."
The center's close proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
and the University of Dayton Research Institute is important in
order to provide significant new support to the Air Force Research
Labs and the University of Dayton. The University's researchers
will work with GE to develop and deploy computer modeling,
simulation and analysis of advanced, dynamic electric power systems
design and controls.
The center will be directed at several markets including
end-to-end electrical power starter/ generation, conversion,
distribution, and load technologies for civil and military
aerospace applications.
In November 2010, GE announced it would build the EPISCENTER on
the University of Dayton campus. The project was enabled by an Ohio
Third Frontier capital grant for up to $7.6 million. While GE
recognized the value of locating in the Aerospace Hub, making such
a decision competitive with other options required significant
collaboration between UD, GE, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County
and CityWide Development Corporation. It also demonstrates the
value of the Aerospace Hub in attracting jobs and providing a focus
for economic development efforts.
GE says the EPISCENTER will complement GE Aviation's new
Electrical Power Integrated Center (EPIC) located in Cheltenham,
UK, which will be operational this year. Together, these two
research centers will augment GE Aviation's existing research and
development capabilities, further enabling collaborative research
and driving innovation.
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