Rolls-Royce will expand its research and development footprint at Purdue University in a multi-million-dollar partnership with the university and the Purdue Research Foundation. The aircraft engine manufacturer has conducted jet engine component analysis in the 55,000-sq-ft Purdue Aerospace Technology Center since 2017. There it employs hundreds of the U.S. university's engineers focused on direct engine controls and advanced technology engine research.
The enhanced partnership announced on August 2 calls for Rolls-Royce to expand its facilities in the Purdue Aerospace District, adjacent to the university in West Lafayette, Indiana, to develop high-altitude and hybrid-electric engines to power new aircraft for the U.S. military. The company is also working on new electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for potential civil applications and is partnered with UK-based eVTOL aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace.
