CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

NIST STRS / CJS CDS request HUD EDI (THUD) CDS request

$3M CDS request - HUD EDI (THUD): The Central Washington Applied Technology and Entrepreneurship Center will adaptively reuse the historic 18,000 sq. ft. Old Heat building (509 E. University Way, Ellensburg) as central Washingtons first dedicated technology commercialization hub. The facility will house advanced manufacturing prototyping, applied research, startup incubation, and workforce development programs - anchored by CWUs applied engineering, computer science, and physics programs and designed to attract aerospace supply chain, agricultural technology, clean technology, and advanced materials tenants. $2.09M CDS request - NIST STRS / CJS: Integrated Drone Program is a two-site initiative: a centralized commercial-grade drone fleet at CWU's Ellensburg campus serving nine academic programs and regional industry workers, paired with Phase 1 of an outdoor BVLOS-capable test range at Deer Park Airport (Spokane County) - the first dedicated public-access outdoor UAS range in eastern Washington. Eastern and central Washington - a largely rural region spanning nearly 45,000 square miles - has no centralized public UAS training infrastructure and no dedicated outdoor BVLOS test range within 100 miles of any comparable institution. The FAA projects the Part 107 certified commercial pilot workforce will grow from 427,598 (2024) to 522,325+ by 2029, driven by surging employer demand in construction, energy, agriculture, public safety, and emergency response. Regional employers including Washington DNR, Avista Utilities, WSDOT, and eastern Washington agricultural operations face a workforce gap they cannot fill from the current pipeline.