Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), in collaboration with Hexcel Corporation, today celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Hexcel Applications Center. The center represents a significant milestone for Wichita State and further positions the university and Kansas as leaders in advanced aerospace research, manufacturing and workforce development.

The Hexcel Applications Center at NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS) on South Oliver in Wichita further strengthens Kansas’ position as a global hub for aerospace research, design and manufacturing, while highlighting the importance of collaboration among industry, academia and government.

“The Hexcel Applications Center at NIAR is a powerful example of how Wichita State brings together industry, research and talent to drive innovation,” said Dr. John Tomblin, WSU executive vice president of research and Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR executive director. “By expanding our collaboration with Hexcel, we are enhancing the resources available to our partners while creating new opportunities for students and researchers to engage directly in cutting-edge aerospace development.”

The new center will support end-to-end composite development — from material processing to automated manufacturing — within a collaborative environment that brings together engineers, researchers and industry specialists.

Hexcel’s investment reflects the strength of Wichita State’s research infrastructure and NIAR’s nationally recognized expertise in advanced manufacturing and materials characterization. Together, the two organizations will create an integrated development ecosystem that accelerates the transition from research to real-world aerospace applications.

“This collaboration builds on Wichita State’s mission to support industry and strengthen the aerospace supply chain,” Tomblin added. “It ensures that innovative materials and processes can be developed, scaled, and validated efficiently, while also preparing the next generation of engineers and technicians.”

Hexcel brings deep expertise in composite materials science and application development, complementing NIAR’s capabilities in automated processing and large-scale manufacturing systems. The Wichita-based applications center will serve as a critical link in Hexcel’s broader innovation network, connecting to its materials and process development work in Utah and structural validation capabilities in Washington.

“By combining Hexcel’s materials science and application development expertise with NIAR’s world-class automated processing capabilities, we are creating a powerful ecosystem that accelerates innovation,” said Tom Gentile, chairman, CEO and president of Hexcel Corporation.

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Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry- and defense-funded engineering R&D and No. 9 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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