The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded a total of 2.7 million dollars to different universities in order to support research on how drones could support disaster preparedness and emergency response operations.
According to the government agency in charge of regulating civil aviation in the United States, the studies will explore the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to provide effective and efficient responses in a variety of critical situations, both natural and human-made.
The research will address coordination procedures between drone operators in federal agencies, as well as state and local organisations. In total, the Federal Aviation Administration will provide 2.768.070 dollars to six different educational institutions.
The announcement marked the completion of the third round of Alliance for System Safety of UAS grants through the ASSURE Research Excellence. Twenty awards, valued at a total of 21 million dollars, were made this year.
The centre is one of six established to support research and advancement in technology and education for the next generation of aviation professionals. Studies conducted by ASSURE focus on enabling the safe integration of drones into the American airspace.
Universities to be funded
- University of Vermont: 1.195.000 dollars.
- University of Alabama Huntsville: 828.070 dollars.
- New Mexico State University: 400.000 dollars.
- North Carolina State University: 200.000 dollars.
- Kansas State University: 145.000 dollars.
See also: FAA to be audited for its role in the 737 MAX and 787 programs
