Virginia Tech and UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) today announced a comprehensive research and education agreement that will focus on two areas of vital interest to UTAS and the aerospace industry: secure aircraft wireless networking and power electronics. UTAS will invest US$1 million over five years to help fund a master research agreement, as well as student scholarships, capstone projects and competitions in these areas. UTAS is a unit of United Technologies Corp.

As part of the agreement, UTAS will collaborate with the university's Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology, Wireless@VT, the Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems and the Center for Power Electronics Systems. The collaboration reflects a growing relationship between UTAS and Virginia Tech, and follows a 2015 donation of US$100,000 from the company to support similar scholarships and experiential learning opportunities in the university's College of Engineering.

"We are excited to collaborate with one of the world's leading suppliers of aerospace and defense products," said Virginia Tech Vice President for Research and Innovation Theresa Mayer. "We have promising joint research underway. This master research agreement sets forth an efficient process to foster additional collaboration."

Virginia Tech's agreement with UTAS comes amid a push by the Commonwealth's leading research university to deepen its relationships with industry. Virginia Tech recently announced the creation of a business engagement center to help advance this goal.

"Our collaboration with Virginia Tech will help us execute against two of our company's most important objectives - developing the most advanced technologies in the world and training the next generation of engineers," said UTAS Vice President of Engineering & Technology Geoff Hunt. "With its leading capabilities in wireless systems and power electronics, and its proximity to key federal agencies, the university is uniquely positioned to help us achieve these goals."

"We appreciate UTC Aerospace Systems' generosity and engagement," said College of Engineering Interim Dean G. Don Taylor, the Charles O. Gordon Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering. "Industry relationships enhance the education we provide. They enable us to be a valuable pipeline of talent to leading companies. They help fuel our research - and increase the likelihood that discoveries will be applied."

Contributed by United Technologies Corp.