UND, NCTC vow closer UAS partnership

Pamela Knudson, Grand Forks Herald

UND and Northland Community and Technical College officials signed a formal agreement Monday to work closer together on unmanned aircraft system issues and, they say, improve the chances of attracting more federal funding.

“The agreement strengthens us as a region and allows us to create a ‘one-stop shop’ for UAS activities,” said Scott Fletcher, chief operating officer for aviation and UAS at Northland Tech.

With UND’s sensor application training and Northland Tech’s maintenance training program, he said, “there’s nothing missing in our region in terms of UAS.”

“It extends our cooperation across state lines, and allows the two institutions to work together,” said Al Palmer, director of UND’s UAS center. “It will promote collaboration because we have different strengths.”

The government estimates that $94 billion will be spent on UAS in the next ten years, he said.

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