U.S. Department of Commerce invests US$1m to establish new aviation and engineering research center in Florida

A new project at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, funded by a US$1m grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce through its Economic Development Administration (EDA), is expected to create 387 new jobs and spur US$1.6m in private investment. On Dec. 11, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that a US$1m award to Embry-Riddle will be used to establish a new aviation and engineering research center in Florida. Specifically, the grant will “help build the Applied Aviation and Engineering Research Hangar in Volusia County,” the U.S. Department of Commerce reported in an official news release. The new facility will serve as the new home for Embry-Riddle’s Eagle Flight Research Center, a hub for engineering research and development. “Embry-Riddle has a 90-year legacy of innovation, and our research is shaping the future of human mobility,” said University President Dr. P. Barry Butler. “We are pleased and honored to receive this research award to advance innovation, economic development and job growth in Florida.”