State leaders highlighted Penn State’s contributions to military and national security research at the recent Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit in Carlisle.
Dave McCormick, one of Pennsylvania’s two U.S. Senators, organized this year’s inaugural event and said Pennsylvania has always been at the center of the country’s national defense.
“We also are on the cutting edge of innovation: drones, AI, autonomy, robots. That’s where the future is headed in terms of what our military capabilities need to be," McCormick said.
McCormick spoke in a panel discussion with Governor Josh Shapiro and the presidents of two defense manufacturing companies: Hanwha Defense USA and General Dynamics.
Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi moderated the discussion and touted the university’s ongoing relationship with the U.S. Department of Defense.
“At Penn State University, (out of) $1.45 billion of research, 30% is from defense, from the DOD," Bendapudi said. "And we are in the top three universities for what we do for R&D for DOD.”
The university recently signed a new ten year agreement with the U.S. Army to provide environmental, architectural and engineering support services.
So far this year, a Penn State spokesperson says the Department of Defense has awarded the university more than $500 million. Most of it is going to the university’s Applied Research Lab, which is one of 15 DOD designated University Affiliated Research Centers in the country.
"There are a number of institutions over the years that have been reluctant to engage on the defense side, and I don't think that problem exists at all in Pennsylvania," said Danny Deep, the president of General Dynamics.
Deep said Pennsylvania's higher education institutions, like Penn State and Carnegie Mellon University, should double down on U.S. defense partnerships and start training students sooner.
Also during the summit, McCormick announced several other Penn State initiatives, such as a five-year nuclear research and workforce partnership with Westinghouse and a new START+ gas turbine testing laboratory opening in August to support commercial and military engines.
