NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced today that two $500,000 grants will be awarded to East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) through the Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative. Today’s announcement marks the seventh and eighth of eight total recipients receiving grants through the second round of TNGO funding.
TNGO, which has received a total of $7.5 million in funding from the Tennessee General Assembly, serves as a tool to diversify the state’s economy by leveraging public and private sector assets to attract mobility research and development (R&D) investment to Tennessee. The initiative serves as part of the state’s efforts to make Tennessee the No. 1 destination in the Southeast for automotive and mobility R&D investment.
“As industries evolve, it’s important that companies recognize the exceptional research happening here in Tennessee,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “TNGO funding drives continued collaboration between government and the private sector, fuels new growth and innovation in our key industries and creates greater opportunity for Tennesseans.”
The selected projects exemplify how Tennessee can lead in industry-driven and collaborative mobility R&D and will serve as catalysts to attract additional industry-related R&D investment to the state.
“Expanding Tennessee’s R&D and innovation ecosystem is an administration-wide priority, further emphasized through TNECD’s Office of Innovation, the launch of the IRIS grant and our department’s ongoing efforts through TNGO,” said TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter. “These initiatives strengthen partnerships with industry and universities and are driving advancements that keep Tennessee at the forefront of innovation.”
The grant recipients listed below include students and faculty from Tennessee’s leading research institutions who will partner with industry, economic developers and community leaders to bring their plans to fruition.
ETSU and Bell Textron Inc., Project I: Design of 3D Printed Tooling for Bird Impact-Resistant Aircraft Windshields – $311,054
The first of ETSU’s two projects with Bell Textron addresses the design, fabrication and proof-of-concept testing of advanced polymer form tooling, produced through precision 3D printing techniques, to support the high-reliability manufacturing of polycarbonate windshields for rotorcraft applications.
The objective is to develop and validate updated tooling designs that maintain existing complex windscreen geometries while constraining environmental factors to optimize process control over critical forming conditions. These improvements aim to increase production repeatability and reliability to ensure consistent optical properties that meet FAA regulatory standards for certification and production, requirements critical to the safety of low-flying rotorcraft.
“ETSU is grateful to Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for their continued investment in innovation and research that drives economic opportunity across our state. These TNGO awards underscore the essential role of higher education in fostering industry partnerships, advancing safety and mobility technologies and promoting long-term economic prosperity for our region. These projects, in collaboration with Bell Textron, exemplify ETSU’s focus on conducting research to meet real-world needs and positioning Tennessee at the forefront of transformative development.” – ETSU President Brian Noland
ETSU and Bell Textron Inc., Project II: Rotor Collision Avoidance Alert System (RCAAS) – $188,945
For a second project, ETSU and Bell Textron will develop and validate a high-fidelity simulation environment to demonstrate the technical feasibility, performance capabilities and safety benefits of the Rotor Collision Avoidance Alert System (RCAAS).
The RCAAS simulation Proof of Concept (PoC) project represents a transformative advancement in rotorcraft safety technology, addressing the critical issue of rotor strikes during ground operations. This enhanced one-year plan outlines a systematic approach to developing and validating a high-fidelity simulation environment that will demonstrate the technical feasibility, performance capabilities and safety benefits of the RCAAS concept prior to physical prototyping.
As a leader in aerospace and defense for more than 90 years, Bell Textron is committed to fostering innovation and development across the industry. With deep roots in Tennessee, we are proud to continue the work with the state and innovative leaders and look forward to bringing opportunities to tomorrow’s leaders by involving them in identifying, designing and implementing solutions today.” – Michael Greene, Piney Flats general manager, Bell Textron
MTSU and Bell Construction Company – $500,000
MTSU and Bell Construction aim to develop a system for identifying, analyzing and mapping road potholes to improve infrastructure maintenance and develop an artificial intelligence (AI) road repair time.
The project leverages citizens and their smartphones, mounted on vehicle dashboards with the Pothole Detection app open, to crowdsource data on road conditions through real-time image and sensor capture.
“This project showcases MTSU’s commitment to practical research in partnership with Bell Construction. By engaging citizens in data collection, we’re developing an innovative solution to reduce vehicle damage, enhance community safety and strengthen Tennessee’s infrastructure.” – Dr. David Butler, Vice Provost for Research, MTSU
“Bell Construction is proud to bring our over 35 years of expertise in heavy highway construction to this TNGO project with MTSU. We’re also eager to involve other industry partners with specialized knowledge, and we look forward to the positive results for Tennessee’s infrastructure. With more than 35 years in heavy highway construction, Bell Construction is committed to contributing our extensive experience to MTSU’s AI-driven pothole detection efforts. We’re willing to bring in additional experts from our partner companies as well, and we’re looking forward to the positive results for Tennessee’s infrastructure.” – Scott McKinney, Heavy Highway Division Manager, Bell Construction
Each proposed project aligns with Tennessee’s key automotive and mobility technology strengths and opportunities outlined in a 2022 mobility assessment report from Guidehouse Consulting, which was supported by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the University of Tennessee System (UT System) and Vanderbilt University.
For more information or questions, please reach out to [email protected].
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
TNECD is the state’s primary agency committed to fostering economic growth through job creation and community development. By attracting new corporate investment and facilitating the growth of existing businesses, the department works to strengthen Tennessee’s competitive landscape. Additionally, TNECD strives to increase the economic prosperity for all Tennesseans by providing grants to communities statewide, helping them to become vibrant, business-friendly environments where companies can flourish. For more information, visit us at tnecd.com. Join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
TNECD Media Contact:
Chris O’Brien
Public Information Officer
[email protected]
(615) 934-5879
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