U.S. Air Forces Central and George Mason University have entered into a cooperative research and development agreement to jointly develop warfighter mission training, education and research programs.
Through the partnership, airmen from the Ninth Air Force will gain access to academic programs offered through Mason’s School of Business and College of Engineering and Computing, USAFCENT said Monday.
The CRADA covers the development of applied research and development programs with the Volgenau School of Engineering’s national security and defense teams at Mason’s Rapid Prototyping Research Center.
In addition, Mason’s Institute for Digital Innovation will coordinate efforts to advance digital transformation initiatives supporting warfighting training programs.
USAFCENT formed a formal partnership with Mason in 2022 to deliver customized data-driven decision-making and senior leadership programs developed by the latter’s School of Business faculty and executive development teams, according to Lt. Col. Chaz LeDeatte, chief technology and data officer at USAFCENT.
The partnership has since expanded to include research programs in multiple disciplines including digital transformation, applied research in systems engineering and integration, program management, innovation and creativity and military transition of advanced technologies.
