NIAR opens Hub for Advanced Manufacturing and Research at Wichita State

Wichita State University's National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) officially opened its new Hub for Advanced Manufacturing and Research (HAMR) following a two-day grand opening event that brought together industry leaders, federal partners, Wichita State and NIAR employees, and the greater community.

The 170,000-square-foot facility is now open for industry and government research, development, training and collaboration. Located on Wichita State's Innovation Campus, HAMR unites applied research, emerging technologies, advanced materials, digital engineering, precision machining and smart automation under one roof, expanding NIAR's legacy as a global leader in innovation and workforce development.

There are more than 500 paid WSU student technician positions at HAMR.

HAMR's grand opening began June 10 with an invitation only Industry Day, drawing leaders and experts from across the nation. Representatives from Boeing, Dassault Systèmes, Deloitte, General Atomics, GKN Aerospace, John Deere, Northrop Grumman, Novacoast, Rolls Royce, Siemens, Textron Aviation, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force and more attended the full day program.

Attendees participated in keynote remarks, guided tours and hands on demonstrations across six research zones: The Digital Twin; Sustainment & Digital Transformation; Advanced Manufacturing & Materials Research; Process Automation; The Digital Factory; and Customer Engagement: Co Create the Future.

"The opening of HAMR represents a major step forward for Wichita State, NIAR and the aerospace, defence and manufacturing industries," said John Tomblin, Wichita State senior vice president for Industry and Defence Programs and NIAR executive director. "This facility was created to accelerate innovation, strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, and provide industry and government partners with the tools and talent needed to solve the challenges of tomorrow."

On June 11, Wichita State and NIAR faculty, staff, students and their families joined an open house event exploring the new facility through self-guided tours. Community leaders and invited industry guests also participated, creating a shared celebration of progress, partnership, and opportunity.

Across both events, more than 1,000 visitors toured the new facility, interacting with NIAR engineers and seeing first-hand how student technicians engage in the paid applied learning positions available through NIAR. The open house offered a rare look at the HAMR facility, which will be closed to the general public in the future because of ITAR-restricted and proprietary industry and defence work.

HAMR was made possible through the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Build Back Better Regional Challenge as part of South Kansas' "Driving Adoption: Smart Manufacturing Technologies" initiative, with significant co-investment from Wichita State University.

HAMR expands NIAR's role as a national resource for advanced manufacturing research, digital engineering, sustainment, prototyping and production. Designed to support both commercial and defence customers, the facility provides access to a world class manufacturing ecosystem and a next generation workforce.

"HAMR isn't just a building," Tomblin said. "It's an investment in the future of American manufacturing — a place where industry, government and academia can co create the technologies that will define the next century."

With its doors now officially open, HAMR is positioned to drive collaboration, accelerate technology adoption and strengthen regional and national competitiveness across critical technology sectors.