Governor Perdue Launches Aerospace Innovation Center to Bring New Technology to Aircraft Life Cycle Support

Announcement in Warner Robins Brings Together Military, Universities and Private Industry

Warner Robins - Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the creation of the Middle Georgia Aerospace Innovation Center (MAIC) to expand on the state's Centers of Innovation strategy. MAIC is a partnership between the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism's Office of Science and Technology (GDITT/OST), the University System of Georgia, private institutions and companies, and the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (ALC). Governor Perdue made the announcement at the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism board meeting in Warner Robins.

"Centers of Innovation bring together research and local assets in midsized Georgia cities to attract company interest and technology-based economic development," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "Building upon the expertise and facilities in middle Georgia with fresh ideas and new technology will directly benefit the region, the state, and the nation."

Researchers from Georgia Tech, Mercer University, and Macon State College will work directly with the ALC and industry partners to develop innovative new technologies to transform lifecycle support for aircraft. All technologies developed in MAIC will be evaluated and potentially implemented by partner organizations - bringing enhanced value and increased innovation to the middle Georgia region.

The technologies created by MAIC will eventually be commercialized and licensed by the state Board of Regents to corporate partners including Boeing and Lockheed-Martin.

As aircraft become more complex and expensive, the challenge of extending their life cycle grows. The combined talents of academic, military, and commercial organizations in Middle Georgia will develop solutions for these challenges that will benefit all aircraft, according to Dr. Dan Schrage, professor at the Georgia Tech School of Aerospace Engineering and MAIC executive director.

A benchmark study and needs assessment for the MAIC will be conducted during the next 60 days to define the center's scope of work.

By staying at the cutting-edge of research and development, Georgia has become a world-leader in areas as diverse as logistics, cancer treatment and prevention, telecommunications and data security. To help build the state's science and technology infrastructure, the Centers of Innovation strategy was launched earlier this year. This strategy focuses on the development of centers of excellence in the areas of aerospace, biosciences, digital media, logistics, medical technology and transaction processing. The objective of the strategy is to grow long-term economic opportunities for Georgians across the state and to attract new companies to the state.