DATE: May 17, 2007

CONTACT: Chris Przirembel, (864) 656-7701
cprzmbl@clemson.edu

WRITER: Ben Ritchey, (865) 946-1200

WRITER: Sandy Woodward, (864) 656-1220
sandra@clemson.edu


Clemson one of Automotive Research Alliance founders

NASHVILLE - Seven of the Southeast’s most prominent universities, along with the National Transportation Research Center Inc. (NTRCI), the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Wednesday launched the Automotive Research Alliance (ARA).

The ARA will provide a broad range of research resources to automotive manufacturers and suppliers, including technology and manufacturing solutions as well as academic and training programs.

"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.

The seven Southeastern universities are Auburn, Clemson, Mississippi State, Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Alabama at Birmingham, Kentucky and Tennessee. All of the schools are leading research institutes and all are located in states with major automotive manufacturing and supply facilities.

At a meeting of the Tennessee Automotive Manufacturers Association preceding the Automotive News Manufacturing Conference, Ritchey announced the formation of ARA, describing it as a "clearinghouse" through which the automotive industry can access an "exceptional network of automotive-focused scientists, engineers, researchers, laboratories and specialized equipment."

NTRCI, a not-for-profit research corporation affiliated with the National Transportation Research Center in East Tennessee, will function as that clearinghouse, Ritchey said.

Ritchey said ARA will benefit the automotive industry by:

Being a single point of contact for information on automotive research and technology resources in the region

Connecting industry, researchers and funding organizations interested in automotive-related issues

Helping provide solutions to complex and diverse problems facing the industry

Providing a forum for the exchange of technical information and ideas

Fostering industry partnerships with national laboratories and universities

Expediting research and technology requests through pre-negotiated arrangements

Assisting with non-disclosure agreements and intellectual property rights issues.

"No activity reflects our commitment to a technology-based economy more than the Automotive Research Alliance. Southeastern states rely on the automotive industry, both OEMs and suppliers, for so many of their manufacturing jobs today," said Dr. Dana C. Christensen, Associate Director for Energy and Engineering Sciences at ORNL.

"The partnership between seven Southeastern universities, ORNL, TVA and NTRCI represents a truly unique opportunity for the region to compete for automotive R&D work by collaborating across state boundaries."

At the end of the announcement, a representative from each of the ARA members signed a cooperative agreement that formally establishes the alliance.

"We're open for business," Ritchey said.

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.

END


Editors: For more information about ARA, visit the website, www.autoresearchalliance.com.