Rolls-Royce expands partnership with Purdue University

Aerospace engine manufacturing company Rolls-Royce (Manchester, U.K.) reports that it will expand its already large footprint at Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind., U.S.), thanks to a new commitment among the university, the Purdue Research Foundation and the company.

The enhanced partnership, announced Aug. 2, calls for Rolls-Royce to further expand its facilities in the Purdue Aerospace District, which is adjacent to the university. The new test facilities will be used to develop high-altitude and hybrid-electric engines to power the next generation of U.S. military aircraft. Rolls-Royce West Lafayette will be developed through a multimillion-dollar investment from the research foundation, Purdue University and Rolls-Royce North America.

The partnership is said to be a major win for the national security and technology pillar of Purdue’s Next Moves, an initiative designed to advance the university’s competitive advantage announced by President Mitch Daniels and Purdue trustees in April 2021.

The facility will enable Rolls-Royce North America to continue its legacy of providing full-service advanced design, development, production and aftermarket support of world-leading propulsion solutions.

“Purdue is delivering new, one-of-a-kind facilities that are national assets and will further differentiate the university as a state and national leader in securing and defending our country,” Daniels says. “With this vital partnership and support from our good friends at Rolls-Royce and others, we continue to expand our role as the economic engine for this region of Indiana and beyond.”

Rolls-Royce already has facilities focusing on digital engine controls and conducts advanced technology engine research at Purdue's Zucrow Laboratories in the district. It’s part of a longstanding partnership between the company and university spanning several decades of conducting aerospace research. The company also employs hundreds of Purdue engineers.

The new facility, according to Rolls-Royce North America, will enable it to continue its legacy of providing full-service advanced design, development, production and aftermarket support of world-leading propulsion solutions, such as the company’s ongoing development of the Ultrafan aeroengine prototype with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) rotor blades.

“Rolls-Royce has a proud history of supporting our U.S. military and commercial customers, and this new significant investment will continue to grow our capability to serve our customers,” adds Tom Bell, chairman and CEO of Rolls-Royce North America. “This reflects yet another major investment in Indiana, and we are also planning significant upgrades to test facilities at our Indianapolis manufacturing campus, which has benefited from a recently completed $600 million modernization program to grow advanced manufacturing and technology capability. We thank both local and state governments for their ongoing support.”

Mung Chiang, Purdue’s executive vice president for strategic initiatives and the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, says testing to be conducted by Rolls-Royce will substantially advance national security. “Today’s announcement is pivotal for two reasons,” Chiang says. “It represents the largest single economic development success to our neighborhood with Rolls-Royce colleagues and the largest research collaboration with a private-sector partner. It also advances the excellence at scale by Purdue in creating the epicenter of aerospace engineering R&D in the U.S.”