Bobcat Co. has pledged its continued support of research and development activities conducted in tandem with nearby North Dakota State University, Fargo, at NDSU’s Technology Incubator, where Bobcat is an anchor tenant.
Bobcat will match $2 for every $1 provided by a grant through North Dakota’s Centers of Excellence program, an initiative that pairs research and development hubs across the state’s university and college campuses with private companies in an effort to stimulate greater economic growth. Bobcat is contributing more than $400,000 toward the program, which will result in more than $200,000 in additional grants for NDSU.
The new R&D partnership between Bobcat and NDSU comes through the university’s State of North Dakota-funded Center of Excellence in Sensors, Communications and Control (COE-CSCC). The CSCC provides expertise in sensor integration, systems engineering and software applications. Overall, with 25 approved Centers of Excellence and supporters like Bobcat, the COE program has contributed $635 million in estimated economic impact to North Dakota’s economy, according to the state Department of Commerce.
Bobcat engineers, NDSU engineering students and researchers at NDSU’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering will continue to collaborate on a variety of projects — exploring new product development, component testing and material characterization — while working to improve current manufacturing processes in place across the company’s global manufacturing plants. Bobcat engineering and product testing facilities at NDSU’s Research and Technology Park include 15,000 square feet of floor space for up to 50 Bobcat employees, a working technology lab and indoor testing area. Bobcat began its research partnership with NDSU in 2005.
“We’re pleased to expand our partnership with North Dakota State University,” said Rich Goldsbury, Bobcat president. “We feel this collaboration will result in great things for both the university and Bobcat Company. Having access to the university’s research expertise will help us cost-effectively develop cutting-edge technologies for our products, and we’re very excited about the opportunities this presents for our organization.”
Bobcat’s research partnership with NDSU has particularly thrived in the areas of engineering and microelectronics.
“This extended R&D partnership, funded in part by North Dakota’s Centers of Excellence program, in conjunction with cash and in-kind match generously provided by Bobcat, is an important extension of the ongoing relationship between Bobcat and NDSU,” said Philip Boudjouk, vice president for research at NDSU.
