Today marks the 10th anniversary of the GE Aerospace EPISCenter (Electrical Power Integrated Systems Centre) opening on the University of Dayton campus.

“The growth at the EPISCenter has outpaced our original expectations,” said Joe Krisciunas, president and general manager of electrical power systems for GE Aerospace. “Since opening the facility, our team has continued to expand our electrical power systems development and testing capabilities to help solve our military and civil customers' challenges.”

The 138,000-square-foot EPISCenter was opened in 2013 on the University of Dayton campus, representing a $53 million investment to advance the development of more electric aircraft. Since then, another $26 million has been invested in facilities and equipment. Earlier this year, plans were announced to make an additional investment of up to $20 million for a new seventh test cell and equipment to support hybrid electric aircraft engine component testing. This brings the total planned capital spending on the EPISCenter to nearly $100 million, building on the site's existing research and testing efforts of end-to-end electrical power starter and generation, conversion, distribution, and load technologies for military and civil aviation applications.

University of Dayton researchers continue to work with GE Aerospace scientists and engineers to develop and deploy electrical power systems technologies.

"The impact of the GE Aerospace EPISCenter to the University and the city of Dayton has been very significant and will continue to be so," University of Dayton president Eric F. Spina said. "This partnership enabled the creation of a world-class research and development facility from a vacant lot, which in turn has spurred the development of additional land-rehabilitation opportunities to benefit Dayton's high-tech economy and education. We are privileged to continue to partner with GE Aerospace, not only to advance the development of electrical power systems, but to provide experiential learning opportunities for students working side-by-side with world-leading researchers. We celebrate and congratulate GE Aerospace on the last 10 years in Dayton and look forward to the possibilities of the next 10 years and beyond."

Since opening, the EPISCenter has commissioned multiple power system integration test cells to support integration and testing for civil and military platforms, including the F/A-18 E/F, 777X, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) INVENT, FAA Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) II/III programs, GE Aerospace demonstrated an industry leading, high-power density, high-voltage DC generator system.

The center is the largest and most capable facility in the aviation industry with 15 MW facility power and the capability to run six end-to-end aircraft electrical power systems simultaneously in one location. Located on about eight acres on the University of Dayton campus on River Park Drive, the centre is home to more than 250 researchers and engineers, depending on program demands.