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Officials from ����ԭ�� and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base have finalized the first step in a new agreement that will afford Air Force researchers access to work in a university building directly on ����ԭ��’s Dayton Campus.

“This agreement strengthens our already valued partnership with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and is value-added to their research,” said ����ԭ�� President Sue Edwards, Ph.D. “Additionally, the enhanced partnership will create new opportunities for ����ԭ�� students to participate in Air Force-conducted research.”

Through this and other future agreements, ����ԭ�� will provide office and laboratory space to Air Force personnel in the Neuroscience Engineering Collaboration Building, which houses the region’s only advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner dedicated exclusively to research.

State leaders applauded the new relationship.

“The success of ����ԭ�� and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is vital to the success of the Dayton region and Ohio. This partnership makes both institutions stronger and better positions the Dayton region for more research, investment and high-quality jobs,” said Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.

“This partnership represents the very best of what this country and state have to offer. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has a proud legacy of service in the mission of keeping our country safe and secure, and today’s announcement strengthens the ties, mission and resolve to the Dayton area,” said Senate President Matt Huffman.

Researchers from ����ԭ�� and WPAFB cite this enhanced partnership as an effective collaboration that adds value to the existing relationship.

“Having Air Force researchers in a building directly on ����ԭ��’s campus is a first of its kind for our region. It supports the missions of the Air Force while also providing our graduate and undergraduate students with invaluable opportunities to work on cutting-edge technologies and research problems, paving their way for further training and job opportunities at WPAFB,” said Madhavi Kadakia, Ph.D., vice provost for research and innovation at ����ԭ��.

Timothy J. Bunning, Ph.D., chief technology officer of the Air Force Research Laboratory, described the activity as a great example of our growing relationship with ����ԭ��.

“It is a first step, building on some previous grassroots activity, that will continue to expand in the future,” Bunning said. “AFRL recognizes the need and is actively pursuing opportunities to strategically partner with those in the communities in which we share talent, share facilities and share resources against common problem sets. We look forward to our future interactions with ����ԭ��.”

A focal point of the partnership is the MRI scanner, which is located in .

The MRI scanner was funded through a Defense University Research Instrumentation program from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the State of Ohio Action fund by leveraging ����ԭ��’s collaborations with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing.

The for the Defense Department and academic neuroscience research in the Miami Valley.

“AFRL researchers are working alongside ����ԭ�� researchers, which opens the door for new hypothesis generation and even more collaborative opportunities,” said Matthew Sherwood, Ph.D., the center’s director and a research professor in ����ԭ��’s , who has worked with the AFRL on MRI-related studies for over a decade.

The partnership will also help ����ԭ�� execute its vision of a positive transformation of the education, economic and social fabric of the communities it serves, Sherwood said.