A partnership announced Wednesday between the University of South Alabama and Airbus is the first step in establishing an Airbus presence at USA’s Research and Technology Park that would expand internship and research opportunities.
“We want to create real meaningful, tangible partnerships and solutions that can help us with some of the challenges of tomorrow,” Airbus in North America Chairman and CEO Robin Hayes said. “We want to harness the power of partnership with the University of South Alabama to conduct industry benchmarking, support curriculum development and research efforts and create internships to give students critical working experience while providing Airbus amazing talent for us to hire from over time. And we can’t think of a better way of doing that than to physically join the University of South Alabama’s Technology Park to drive collaboration and serve as that anchor – that keystone – to support and recruit new innovation and business partners into the Technology Park.”
The partnership announcement was made at the annual USA Research and Technology Showcase at the MacQueen Alumni Center on the Mobile campus.
Airbus plans to relocate its U.S. Engineering Center on to USA’s campus, providing the company proximity to USA faculty and student talent and its employees with access to medical and recreational facilities.
“On behalf of our board of trustees, on behalf of our 100,000 proud alumni, our 14,285 students and counting, we welcome you with open arms to our Research and Technology Park,” said USA President Jo Bonner. “We thank you from the bottom of our heart for expressing confidence in our outstanding College of Engineering, our Mitchell College of Business and all the other academic units that will stand shoulder to shoulder with Airbus as we look to build that next generation of talent. We believe that we are a talent machine, and we believe in partnering with Airbus, we’re partnering with the world’s most innovative, forward looking visionary, aerospace company.”
A timeline for moving Airbus employees is being developed.
