Commercialization and Innovation | Dayton Development Coalition

Commercialization and Innovation

Orville and Wilbur Wright launched Dayton’s aerospace research and development industry more than a century ago when they decided to design a flying machine in their Wright Cycle Company. That legacy lives on in today in the groundbreaking work conducted by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and the Dayton Region’s thriving R&D community.

Gen. Mark Welsh, former Air Force Chief of Staff said it best:

“Air power starts with an idea. An idea that you then take and turn into reality. You figure out how to buy it, how to build it, how to field it, how to maintain it, how to improve it, and eventually you figure out how to replace it. Our Air Force simply does not fly, fight and win without you. So if you don’t remember anything else I say today, remember this: Air power. Its DNA comes from Dayton.”

That desire to try new and exciting technology and push the boundaries of known science has shaped Dayton into a region that thrives on innovation, takes pride in its creative problem-solving, and leads the country in research and development for the Air Force. The Boolean search method that drives internet search engines was developed in Dayton by LexisNexis, and daily life is filled with Dayton inventions. Our region shaped aerospace innovation, navigation systems, stealth technology and composite materials development.

The region is home to successful federal research installations, leading private businesses, non-profits and university institutes. These key players often work together on breakthrough discoveries to create new and improved products, processes and more. The military doesn’t use all the developed technologies, so the Air Force Technology Transfer office ensures these are transferred or intentionally shared with state and local governments, academia and industry. This common exchange of knowledge, expertise, equipment, and testing facilities leverages the Department of Defense (DoD) research and development investment. Through organizations like Launch Dayton, Wright Brothers Institute and The Entrepreneurs Center, private businesses large and small continue to position us as a region full of great minds and life‐enhancing products.

Air Force Research Laboratory

Multiple federal research laboratories call the Dayton Region home. The new technology these laboratories generate is critical to the economic and military security of our country and key to the nation’s economic strength. This exceptional atmosphere of inspiration, along with the billions of dollars of contracts to support what we do, continue to bring new companies to the region each year.

Research labs include:

Headquarters of the U.S Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and five of its directorates. There are more than 10,000 employees within AFRL. Of those, 6,272 are engineers or scientists, and more than 80% have a Master’s Degree or Ph.D. Directorates include:
- The Aerospace Systems Directorate brings together world-class facilities, including a fuels research facility, structural testing labs, compressor research facility, rocket testing facilities, supersonic and subsonic wind tunnels, flight simulation lab, and many other cutting-edge research labs. Among the technologies in development in the Aerospace Systems Directorate are scramjet engines, alternative fuels, unmanned vehicles, hypersonic vehicles, collision avoidance and aircraft energy optimization.
- The Materials and Manufacturing Directorate focuses on materials, processes, and manufacturing technologies. Current research activities focus on thermal protection materials, metallic and nonmetallic structural materials, nondestructive inspection methods, materials used in aerospace propulsion systems, and electromagnetic and electronic materials.
- The Sensors Directorate focuses on sensors for air and space reconnaissance, surveillance, precision engagement, and electronic warfare applications. Its specific areas of interest include radio frequency sensors and countermeasures, electro-optical sensors and countermeasures, and automatic target recognition and sensor fusion.
- The 711th Human Performance Wing, headquartered at WPAFB, is a unique combination of three units: the Airman Systems Directorate, the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) and the Human Systems Integration Directorate. The synergies of combining the ideas, resources and technologies of these units position the 711 HPW as a world leader in the study and advancement of human performance and augmentation.
The University of Dayton and Wright State University are both home to robust research institutes known for their partnerships with the Air Force, and many others.

Ohio Federal Research Network

In 2015, the Ohio Federal Military Jobs Commission recommended the creation of the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN) to expand Ohio's research capabilities and stimulate economic growth in areas such as defense, aerospace, energy, and health. The Ohio General Assembly funded OFRN through the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and the program is now managed by Parallax Advanced Research in partnership with The Ohio State University.

OFRN facilitates collaborations among federal, academic, and commercial entities to support Ohio's workforce development and advance priority research initiatives. Its partners include the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D), National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), National Aeronautical and Space Administration's Glenn Research Center (NASA-GRC), and Ohio National Guard. With $51.4 million in state investment, OFRN has funded 35 research projects involving 21 Ohio universities, community colleges, and 97 industry partners. It has also secured a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with AFRL for flight testing at the Springfield Airport in Ohio.

OFRN further assists its partners in seeking and obtaining follow-on funding from other agencies, which supports student education and training, research, and national defense needs. Going forward, OFRN aims to promote rapid technology innovation, grow collaborations within and beyond Ohio, integrate assets across industry sectors, execute challenge grants and university design projects, address workforce shortages, and provide proposal training and market intelligence. To learn more about the Ohio Federal Research Network, please visit https://ohiofrn.org/.

Additional Facts

University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) – #1 among Catholic universities for sponsored engineering R&D and #9 in the nation for sponsored research among private research universities without medical schools. UDRI employs more than 550 full-time researchers. Established as the research arm of the University of Dayton in 1956, UDRI broke the $1 billion mark in sponsored research at the end of 2003.

The Center for Operator Performance – a diverse group of industry, vendor, and academia representatives addressing human capabilities and limitations with research, collaboration, and human factors engineering. Meeting twice annually, once per year at Wright State University, members include Chevron, Citgo and Emerson Process Management.

Sinclair College - Sinclair received its 59th award (including grants and subawards) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2017. The NSF has awarded Sinclair more grants and subgrants than any other community college in the United States.

Multiple federal research laboratories call the Dayton Region home. The new technology these laboratories generate is critical to the economic and military security of our country and key to the nation’s economic strength. This exceptional atmosphere of inspiration, along with the billions of dollars of contracts to support what we do, continue to bring new companies to the region each year.

Research labs include:

Headquarters of the U.S Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and five of its directorates. There are more than 10,000 employees within AFRL. Of those, 6,272 are engineers or scientists, and more than 80% have a Master’s Degree or Ph.D. Directorates include:
- The Aerospace Systems Directorate brings together world-class facilities, including a fuels research facility, structural testing labs, compressor research facility, rocket testing facilities, supersonic and subsonic wind tunnels, flight simulation lab, and many other cutting-edge research labs. Among the technologies in development in the Aerospace Systems Directorate are scramjet engines, alternative fuels, unmanned vehicles, hypersonic vehicles, collision avoidance and aircraft energy optimization.
- The Materials and Manufacturing Directorate focuses on materials, processes, and manufacturing technologies. Current research activities focus on thermal protection materials, metallic and nonmetallic structural materials, nondestructive inspection methods, materials used in aerospace propulsion systems, and electromagnetic and electronic materials.
- The Sensors Directorate focuses on sensors for air and space reconnaissance, surveillance, precision engagement, and electronic warfare applications. Its specific areas of interest include radio frequency sensors and countermeasures, electro-optical sensors and countermeasures, and automatic target recognition and sensor fusion.
- The 711th Human Performance Wing, headquartered at WPAFB, is a unique combination of three units: the Airman Systems Directorate, the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) and the Human Systems Integration Directorate. The synergies of combining the ideas, resources and technologies of these units position the 711 HPW as a world leader in the study and advancement of human performance and augmentation.
The University of Dayton and Wright State University are both home to robust research institutes known for their partnerships with the Air Force, and many others.

In 2015, the Ohio Federal Military Jobs Commission recommended the creation of the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN) to expand Ohio's research capabilities and stimulate economic growth in areas such as defense, aerospace, energy, and health. The Ohio General Assembly funded OFRN through the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and the program is now managed by Parallax Advanced Research in partnership with The Ohio State University.

OFRN facilitates collaborations among federal, academic, and commercial entities to support Ohio's workforce development and advance priority research initiatives. Its partners include the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D), National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), National Aeronautical and Space Administration's Glenn Research Center (NASA-GRC), and Ohio National Guard. With $51.4 million in state investment, OFRN has funded 35 research projects involving 21 Ohio universities, community colleges, and 97 industry partners. It has also secured a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with AFRL for flight testing at the Springfield Airport in Ohio.

OFRN further assists its partners in seeking and obtaining follow-on funding from other agencies, which supports student education and training, research, and national defense needs. Going forward, OFRN aims to promote rapid technology innovation, grow collaborations within and beyond Ohio, integrate assets across industry sectors, execute challenge grants and university design projects, address workforce shortages, and provide proposal training and market intelligence. To learn more about the Ohio Federal Research Network, please visit https://ohiofrn.org/.

University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) – #1 among Catholic universities for sponsored engineering R&D and #9 in the nation for sponsored research among private research universities without medical schools. UDRI employs more than 550 full-time researchers. Established as the research arm of the University of Dayton in 1956, UDRI broke the $1 billion mark in sponsored research at the end of 2003.

The Center for Operator Performance – a diverse group of industry, vendor, and academia representatives addressing human capabilities and limitations with research, collaboration, and human factors engineering. Meeting twice annually, once per year at Wright State University, members include Chevron, Citgo and Emerson Process Management.

Sinclair College - Sinclair received its 59th award (including grants and subawards) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2017. The NSF has awarded Sinclair more grants and subgrants than any other community college in the United States.