In collaboration with the Center for Faculty Excellence, the Oklahoma Aerospace and Defense Innovation Institute held a networking event on August 29, 2023, to engage OU Norman faculty with their strategic research initiatives and provide insights into potential aerospace and defense funding opportunities.
“Our goal is to unite the vast resources of a major research university with the network of industry and government partners to advance security and prosperity for our state and nation, Lt Gen (ret) Gene Kirkland, OADII executive director, said. “I’m proud that the University of Oklahoma is helping to solve national security challenges.”
During the event, Lt Col (ret) Cliff Wojtalewicz, OADII operations manager, shared information about past and future seed funding opportunities. He stressed the intention of leveraging these funds for the advancement of faculty defense-related research and building transdisciplinary teams.
“To help you get there, OADII is launching another round of seed funding later this semester. OADII is very interested in hearing your ideas on how to build upon existing research and diversifying OU’s defense research portfolio,” Wojtalewicz said.
In addition to their own seed grants and internal funding opportunities from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships, Wojtalewicz also shared external funding opportunities for research and instrumentation from various federal organizations including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Office of Naval Research, Department of Defense, and more.
Mark Raymond, Ph.D., OADII associate director for international security policy, emphasized the opportunities for convergent research from the STEM disciplines and social sciences while also acknowledging opportunities for research into important societal issues.
“The Office of the Attorney General for Oklahoma is also initiating a multi-year policy review for cybersecurity, digital assets, and technology,” Raymond said. “OADII is coordinating and facilitating subject matter expertise from OU faculty and researchers to that process, which will begin in September.”
Attendees also heard from Andrew Reader, executive director for export control and secure research operations at the Office of Export Controls, regarding the national security regulatory responsibilities that allow the University of Oklahoma to participate in defense-related research projects. Yingtao Liu, Ph.D., an associate professor in the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and Charles Nicholson, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, also shared on-going projects in defense-related 3D advanced manufacturing and supply chain risk management.
Learn more about funding opportunities from OADII and the OVPRP.
