In 2016, Purdue University and Rolls-Royce signed a $33 million agreement to pursue jet-engine research and development with the aim of designing, developing and testing next-generation jet engine components.
Now Rolls-Royce, a developer and manufacturer of turbofan engines for aircraft, is officially setting up its new research group in the Purdue Technology Center Aerospace (PTCA). The PTCA is a 55,000 square-foot facility dedicated to hosting public and private-sector aerospace research and development initiatives, and is part of the Purdue Research Park Aerospace District.
The Rolls-Royce group will design, develop and test components for jet engines. It will also collaborate with Purdue engineers and researchers through a number of corporate partnerships.
Having the research group located at Purdue’s research park means that Purdue engineering undergraduate and graduate students will benefit from internship opportunities and career prospects with Rolls-Royce, which already employs more than 600 Purdue alumni, sponsors four fellows, and supports 20 graduate research assistants with research funding.
Purdue and Rolls-Royce are confident that the new research center will play a significant role in providing Purdue students, faculty and researchers with rewarding and valuable long-term opportunities in the aerospace industry, while supporting the company’s U.S. projects. The future-oriented aspects of Rolls-Royce’s research efforts would place Purdue alumni in a coveted space, enriching their career prospects within Rolls-Royce and beyond.
Representatives from the U.S. military, government, Purdue University and Rolls-Royce preparing to cut the ribbon to Rolls-Royce’s research group at the PTCA. (Image courtesy of Purdue University.)
Purdue’s president, Mitch Daniels, lauded Rolls-Royce’s entry by stating, “It is highly appropriate that the first company to move into the Purdue aerospace district would be Rolls-Royce, an international leader in aerospace research and development.”
Rolls-Royce is among the U.S. military’s essential suppliers of propulsion systems. Its engine solutions can be found in the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter and C-130J Super Hercules transport, the Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and many helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk. Rolls-Royce engines are also used on foreign defense systems and civilian airliners.
To learn more, visit the Purdue University and the Purdue Research Park Aerospace District websites.