Other ud and College of Engineering news

UD Builds Its Future at the Former Chrysler Site
(2009-2010 CCM Annual Report)

On October 24, 2009, the University of Delaware signed a purchase agreement for the 272-acre site formerly occupied by the Chrysler Assembly Plant in Newark. Representing the largest expansion of the campus in the University’s history, the acquisition opened the door for UD to become a national leader in technology development and a major engine for the creation of jobs in the state.

Partnerships are at the heart of the plans for the site, with an initial focus on a regional healthcare alliance and on collaboration with the U.S. Army, which is bringing thousands of people to nearby Aberdeen Proving Ground as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Program.

The groundwork has already been laid for the partnership with the Army.  A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between UD and the Army was signed on January 26, 2010, enabling broad-based sharing of personnel, facilities, and equipment across the entire University.

For CCM, the CRADA--and the first statement of work to be executed under it, for a project focusing on antenna technology--are the latest elements in a partnership that goes back more than two decades to 1986, when the Army Research Office established a center of excellence at CCM to investigate manufacturing techniques for lightweight advanced composites. 

Since then, we have been home to several additional DOD centers of excellence and have also collaborated with dozens of  small companies that are applying basic Army S&T research to the development of products aimed at providing soldiers with better protection and enhanced mobility.

With the potential now to establish a national Army research center on campus, the door is open for unprecedented university-industry-government collaboration. 

Plans for the Chrysler site include a business incubator for startups as well as for existing companies interested in capitalizing on research relationships with UD faculty and access to the University’s facilities.  

This level of proximity will enable all of us to work better and smarter by capitalizing on shared resources--providing internships for students, continuing education offerings for Army and industry employees, employment opportunities for graduates, and economic growth for the state.

For more information related to UD's vision for the Chrysler Site, please visit http://www.udel.edu/scitechsite/.