Ohio Aerospace Institute Announces Partnership With Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide's Center for Aviation and Aerospace Leadership to Further Aerospace Education and Research

CLEVELAND and DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), which supports the state's aerospace economy, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide's Center for Aviation and Aerospace Leadership (CAAL) announced today that they have formed a special partnership that will allow them to collaborate on aerospace education, research and development, and leadership training.

This unique partnership will afford both OAI and Embry-Riddle the opportunity to further demonstrate their aerospace expertise. These two organizations will work together on and participate in the following:

• Aerospace workshops, seminars and conferences
• Aerospace research and development grants and projects
• Industry collaborations and consortia
• Shared funding opportunities
• Executive training programs
• STEM initiatives

"This collaboration is more than us simply working together. It is a testament to both OAI's and Embry-Riddle's innovation, commitment to and leadership position in the aerospace industry," said Dr. Michael Heil, president and CEO, OAI. "We look forward to working with the Embry-Riddle team to develop informational workshops on the issues and trends impacting our industry and to further aerospace research right here in Ohio and across the country."

"We are very pleased to have entered this memorandum of understanding (MOU) with OAI," said Robert Mansfield, CAAL's executive director.  "OAI is one of the premier aerospace institutes in the U.S. We believe together we will do much to maintain America's leadership in aviation and aerospace and strengthen Ohio's and the Nation's competitiveness in the industry."

About OAI
The Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI) is a non-profit organization that enhances the state's aerospace competitiveness by supporting its partners through research and technology development, workforce preparedness, and engagement with global networks for innovation and advocacy.  For more information, visit www.oai.org.

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide's Center for Aviation and Aerospace Leadership
The Center for Aviation and Aerospace Leadership (CAAL) was founded in 2008 to capture, create, and share relevant information on leadership in the aviation and aerospace industry to prepare leaders for tomorrow's world.  Learn more at http://worldwide.erau.edu/caal/index.html

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 40 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real- world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@ERAUworldwide) and www.facebook.com/EmbryRiddleWorldwide, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.

SOURCE The Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI)