Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Unveils Design of Cornerstone Building for New Aerospace Research Park

Designed to encompass research enterprises in aviation, space, engineering, unmanned systems, environmental ventures and more, the 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Advanced Aerodynamics Laboratory will include the following:

• Composites Center
• Multiscale Materials Laboratory
• Large Article Testing Laboratory
• Structural Health Monitoring Facility
• Smart Materials Laboratory
• Space Technologies Laboratory
• Thermal and Energy Laboratory
• Advanced Dynamics and Control Center
• Robotics and Autonomous Systems Facility
• Radar and Communications Laboratory
• Circuits, Sensors and Instrumentation Laboratory
• Computational Sciences Laboratory

In addition, the Advanced Aerodynamics Laboratory will feature 10,000 square feet of flex lease space to meet tenants’ needs.

Overall, the 90-acre Research Park includes offices, labs and hangar space with direct taxiway access to Daytona Beach International Airport. Embry-Riddle’s Research Park is conveniently situated near Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville, and is well positioned to leverage the resources of Florida’s growing high-tech corridor.

“Developing new strategic partnerships and evolving existing relationships with leading companies is a top priority for Embry-Riddle, marked by our expanding research mission and global activities,” said Embry-Riddle Interim President Dr. John R. Watret. “The park provides the opportunity for an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach between industry and academia, generating applied solutions to real-world problems, new products and ultimately high-paying jobs.”

In addition to the new building, Research Park tenants, composed of established industry leaders and burgeoning enterprises, will have access to use the facilities provided within Embry-Riddle’s continually expanding areas of research, including unmanned design, engineering and flight:

• Center for Cybersecurity and System Assurance — which includes the NextGen Engineering Applied Research Lab
• Eagle Flight Research Center — where faculty, staff and students work with industry on experimental flight testing, design and testing of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), development and verification of high-fidelity flight-data models used in engineering and training simulators, and prototype engineering solutions to advance environmentally compatible alternatives for aviation.
• Designated a Center of Excellence in Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Embry-Riddle will be the technical lead in UAS airport ground operations and UAS pilot and crew training and will co-lead in-command and communications research. This distinction was bestowed jointly by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and ASSURE (Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence).

Under the guidance of the recently named Research Park Advisory Board that is composed of local, state and national leaders from industry, government and higher education, the university will identify partnership opportunities with aviation and aerospace industry leaders.