News

Automotive Research Alliance is launched

May 17 , 2007 — A new research initiative will provide automotive manufacturers and suppliers with a broad range of resources, including technology and manufacturing solutions as well as academic and training programs.

The Automotive Research Alliance (ARA) was unveiled May 16 by the National Transportation Research Center Inc. (NTRCI), the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and TVA, along with seven of the Southeast's most prominent universities: Auburn, Clemson, Mississippi State, Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Alabama at Birmingham, Kentucky, and Tennessee. All of the schools are leading research institutions and are located in states with major automotive manufacturing and supply facilities.

“We want to position the Alliance as a preferred source of industry-specific expertise, research, intellectual property, and academic programs for the U.S. automotive industry,’’ said Ben Ritchey, acting president of NTRCI, which will serve as the umbrella organization for the ARA.

Ritchey described the ARA as a clearinghouse through which the automotive industry can access an “exceptional network of automotive-focused scientists, engineers, researchers, laboratories, and specialized equipment.”

Ritchey outlined the benefits ARA will provide to the automotive industry:

• A single point of contact for information on automotive research and technology resources in the region
• A connection between industry, researchers and funding organizations interested in automotive-related issues.
• Solutions to complex and diverse problems facing the industry.
• A forum for the exchange of technical information and ideas.
• Industry partnerships with national laboratories and universities.
• Expedited research and technology requests through pre-negotiated arrangements.
• Experience in dealing with non-disclosure agreements and intellectual property rights issues.

Representatives from the University of Kentucky and the University of Tennessee also announced that each school planned to establish Centers of Excellence focused on specific automotive research programs.

Dr. Larry Holloway, director of the UK Center for Manufacturing and the Kentucky Utilities Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, announced that UK would establish a center of excellence in advanced manufacturing.

Dr. Fred D. Tompkins, president of the UT Research Foundation and associate vice president for research, announced that UT will open a Center of Excellence focused on automotive supply chain issues.

Read more about the ARA at the NTRCI web site.