Building bridges

John Over, executive director of Tinker’s Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, left, greets members of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology Tuesday in Bldg. 3001. Mr. Over and OCAST executive director Michael Carolina signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at furthering cooperative research and development between the two entities. Pictured with Mr. Over are OCAST members, from left; Dan Luton, Debbie Cox and Steve Paris. (Air Force photo/Margo Wright)

OC-ALC partnership hopes to bring lasting innovation

Published Oct. 9, 2008
By Brandice Armstrong
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center and Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology officials signed a cooperative research and development agreement Tuesday.

The agreement allows Oklahoma industry, college and university researchers to collaborate with OC-ALC officials to solve technological challenges. OCAST will manage the agreement and if, at a later point, they want to market inventions discovered while working with the Air Force, OCAST can do so without jeopardizing relations with the OC-ALC.

"Cooperative research and development agreements such as this are excellent opportunities for government and academia and/or industry to collaborate on technology developments that are of mutual interest," said John Over, OC-ALC executive director. "I commend our engineering directorate for bringing this to fruition."

Under the agreement, OC-ALC and OCAST officials can share personnel, services, facilities, equipment and other resources as long as it pertains to the research and development under the memorandum of understanding.

"Our objective is to advance science and technology in areas specific to meet OC-ALC and Air Force mission requirements," said Trish Cannon, OC-ALC Technology Insertion Branch program manager.

The agreement has been in the works for a little more than a year and started when OC-ALC officials contacted OCAST in regards to having access to another research and development tool.

"OCAST's 11 programs are designed to support transferring technology from researchers to the end users and to encourage the innovation in manufacturing," said Michael Carolina, OCAST's executive director. "The agreement can help deliver technological solutions to the OC-ALC rapidly and in a manner that does not require the OC-ALC to wade through hundreds or thousands of potential responses to a general call for