Turbomachinery Center Taking Off
The facility is expected to ultimately result in about 60 new high-wage jobs.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe University of Notre Dame will cut the ribbon today on its $36 million Turbomachinery Facility in South Bend’s Ignition Park. The center houses test labs and a supercomputing center to research and test gas turbine engine technology used by military aircraft and the energy industry. The school has multiple partners in the effort, including General Electric Co., which has committed $13.5 million to fund research and testing. The aerospace industry continues to gain steam in Indiana, to the tune of $900 million in investment and more than 1,200 new job commitments over the last two years.
The school says the center will be "the nation’s foremost research and test facility" for advancing gas turbine engine technology. The city of South Bend and the state of Indiana have also partnered on the project. The city contributed more than $4 million in equipment, land and tax abatement, and the state provided up to $600,000 in training grants and up to $2 million in infrastructure assistance.
The Notre Dame Turbomachinery Facility is expected to ultimately result in about 60 new jobs, with an average salary and benefits package of around $79,000. The school says, at full operation, research expenditures generated from work done at the facility will likely exceed $15 million per year.
The facility is the latest asset in Indiana’s growing aerospace portfolio. Last year, Purdue University unveiled plans for a 1,000-acre Aerospace District in West Lafayette. In September, Rolls-Royce Corp. announced it would be the first tenant in the district, saying the research and development facility allows the company to collaborate with Purdue researchers and students as well as its corporate partners.
The ribbon-cutting is set for 3:00 p.m. Tuesday in South Bend.
Kinney says partnering with a university boosts research and recruiting efforts.