Wichita State has received a a $2.5 million grant to fund programs at the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), which is located on Innovation Campus. The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment.

The grant will go toward work in the regional manufacturing to “increase the quality and scope of defense technologies,” according to a university press release.

Some specific programs that will be funded are:

• Automated fiber placement and tape-laying technology optimization
• Cold spray technologies for restoration and manufacturing of aircraft parts
• Robotic programming with motion-tracking systems that record and analyze motion
• Tooling systems that build new defense and commercial aircraft equipment quickly