GE Aviation opened its $53 million Dayton, Ohio, Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center , a collaborative research project on the campus of the University of Dayton.

The “new 138,000-square-foot facility is the intellectual heart and soul of GE’s electrical power business with the employment of potentially 150 to 200 researchers in the next five years, depending on future programs,” company officials said.

“GE Aviation’s partnership with the University of Dayton is creating long-term economic growth,” said Brad Mottier, Vice President of Business, General Aviation and Integrated Systems for GE Aviation. “The center fosters collaborative research with our customers with a goal of decreasing system development time and improving on-time delivery of new aircraft.”

The center, located on about eight acres on the University of Dayton’s campus on River Park Drive along the Great Miami River, offers the capability to simulate and test complete electrical power systems in airplanes.

University of Dayton researchers will work with GE scientists and engineers to develop and deploy computer modeling, simulation and analysis of advanced, dynamic electrical power systems design and control technologies.

The center’s close proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the University of Dayton Research Institute is important in order to provide significant new support to the Air Force Research Labs and foster research and new technological breakthroughs through collaboration with researchers and graduate students on Dayton’s campus. By bringing graduate students on engineering design teams, GE Aviation said it is making a commitment to building a pipeline of qualified engineers for its future.

“The EPISCenter is a cornerstone in the continued revitalization of Dayton. It is a shining example of the potential of the Ohio’s Aerospace Hub,” said Daniel J. Curran, President of the University of Dayton. “In the higher education landscape nationally, we believe this innovative partnership can be a model for the future.”

"GE continues to grow and further its commitment to the state of Ohio thanks to projects like the EPISCenter,” said Lt. Governor Mary Taylor. “This new research and development facility will create good paying jobs for Ohioans, generate growth for the local economy and is further proof that Dayton is and always will be the birthplace of aviation."

GE’s electrical power business is on track to almost double from 2009 to 2014; this is attributed to the demand for more power on aircraft and GE’s ability to invest and bring advanced technologies that are flexible with customers’ requirements, the company said.

"This is exactly the kind of collaboration we need for the Dayton region and across the state to create jobs, boost R&D and educate the next generation of engineers and scientists," Secretary of State Jon Husted said. "We have great assets in Wright Patt, the University of Dayton and GE. The new EPISCenter leverages them all and our economy will be better for it."

The EPISCenter will complement GE Aviation’s Electrical Power Integration Center located in Cheltenham, UK, which opened in 2011. Together, these two research centers will augment GE Aviation’s existing research and development capabilities, further enabling collaborative research and innovation.