Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research and NASA have began a public-private partnership through NASA’s Advanced Composites Consortium, according to a news release. The partnership focuses on researching composite materials and improving aircraft performance.

“Our experience and understanding of composite material properties and certification processes will add to the already strong intellectual membership,” Royal Lovingfoss, associate director of NIAR’s Composites and Advanced Materials Lab, said in the release. “The collaborative experience will bring new ideas to the forefront and allow for a sharing of information that will benefit the aviation community as a whole.”

Composite materials are a combination of materials that achieve specific structural properties. Applications of composites on aircraft include floor beams and floor boards, landing gear doors, propellers, fuselage structures, stabilize primary structures and interior components, among others.

The Advanced Composites Consortium was established in 2015 in support of NASA’s Advanced Composite Project. Its goal is to “reduce product development and certification timelines for composites infused into aeronautics applications.” It’s managed by the National Institute of Aerospace.