Students and faculty gain improved access to new technology

The University of Missouri-Kansas City has signed a master collaboration agreement with Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies (FM&T), creating closer collaboration on research and development of new technology to meet national security needs.

“UMKC is proud to partner with Honeywell,” said UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton. “The collaboration will allow us to bring UMKC and Honeywell’s research expertise together, which will not only benefit our students and faculty, but also our national security.”

UMKC and Honeywell have proven expertise in national security innovation. Anthony Caruso, UMKC Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and physics professor, led a collaborative team of researchers from UMKC, University of Missouri-Columbia, and Kansas State University working with scientists from the Office of Naval Research that invented a nuclear detection device. The innovation won a prestigious R & D 100 Award, sometimes called the “Oscars of Invention,” and became a commercial product.

Honeywell is moving national security innovation forward with the latest in digital manufacturing technologies to maintain the safety, security and reliability of our nation’s nuclear weapons at the Kansas City National Security Campus. This premier engineering and advanced manufacturing enterprise with locations in Kansas City and Albuquerque, N.M. supports the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

“The master collaboration agreement is a bridge between Honeywell and UMKC, providing an exchange of capabilities in a faster and more meaningful way,” Caruso said. “Given the nature of prior research projects between Honeywell and UMKC, there were always contractual barriers that had to be overcome for each transaction. This agreement helps to fast-track future work and educational activities between the organizations.”

It will also foster collaborations between UMKC School of Computing and Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences faculty and students and Honeywell as well as an ongoing exchange of ideas, expertise and equipment.

“Education is the foundation of a skilled workforce and helps fuel innovation,” said Robin Stubenhofer, vice president of engineering for Honeywell FM&T. “We are pleased to extend that partnership in support of an innovative research educational environment to further support the readiness of tomorrow’s leaders and meet important national security needs.”