Four high-profile Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley institutions involved in energy and research-the TVA, University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) and the National Transportation Research Center Inc. (NTRCI)-will anchor a major new initiative supporting the auto industry.
Along with six other southeastern universities, they have formed the Automotive Research Alliance (ARA), to provide a broad range of resources to automakers and suppliers, including technology and manufacturing solutions as well as academic and training programs.
Kim Den ton, president of the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership, said that this effort "leverages the very active auto supply and energy industries and research activities already underway in the Innovation Valley."
"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.
Other universities involved in the ARA are Auburn, Clemson, Mississippi State, Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Alabama at Birmingham and Kentucky. Like the University of Tennessee, all are leading research institutes located in states with major automotive manufacturing and supply facilities.
Copyright Hearst Business Publishing Jul 2007
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved
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