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Details on new $51 million GE center in Dayton coming soon

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By John Nolan and Christopher Magan, Staff Writers Updated 3:27 PM Thursday, November 18, 2010

DAYTON — General Electric Co. on Monday is to announce at the University of Dayton details of a $51 million center to develop advanced electric power systems for aircraft, ships and hybrid automobiles, people familiar with the announcement said.

The facility could provide a big boost in coming years for jobs and economic development in Dayton.

GE said months ago that it had decided to locate the research and development center in the Dayton area. State officials have said it would start in 2012 with about a dozen jobs, but could expand to 100 to 200 jobs over several years if GE Aviation hits sales targets over time for the envisioned electric power generation, power control and distribution, conversion and energy storage systems.

The state pledged a $7.6 million grant from the technology-nurturing Third Frontier program to help persuade GE to locate the project in Ohio.

Top GE, state and University of Dayton officials are expected at the 1 p.m. Monday announcement at the former NCR Corp. headquarters building, now owned and operated by the university. UD is a partner in the aerospace innovation hub that Ohio established in Dayton in 2009, and putting the GE center here would allow GE staff a close working relationship with UD researchers in propulsion systems and advanced materials.

The GE center could help Ohio attract other aerospace companies and jobs to the Dayton hub. In July, Chancellor Eric Fingerhut of the Ohio Board of Regents described GE as a “big dog” that could help lure other aerospace R&D investment.

GE Aviation spokeswoman Jennifer Villarreal said she could not confirm the Monday announcement. Officials at UD, the Board of Regents and in the offices of Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, also declined on Thursday to comment.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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