OREANDA-NEWS. October 21, 2015. Boeing [NYSE: BA] today opened its new research and technology center in St. Louis. The facility will serve as the company's regional hub for collaborative technology development with academic institutions and research partners in systems technology.

Boeing leaders joined local dignitaries and employees for a ribbon cutting and tours of the research labs. With more than 180,000 square-feet devoted to the creation and development of technologies for use in current and future Boeing products, the Boeing Research & Technology-Missouri (BR&T-Missouri) research center has grown significantly since it was first announced in 2013.

"We're building a deeply talented workforce here that will make important contributions to future products," said Nancy Pendleton, leader of the BR&T-Missouri research center. "The new BR&T-Missouri research center allows access to and development of cutting-edge technologies across a broad spectrum of research areas, which will help launch the next hundred years of innovation."

New labs and capabilities in Missouri include the Non-Destructive Test Lab, the Human Systems Integration Center, a Polymer Synthesis Lab, and the soon-to-be-built Collaborative Autonomous Systems Lab. More than 700 engineers, technicians and staff at BR&T-Missouri will develop a variety of other technologies that include systems, digital aviation and support technology, rate-independent production and next generation materials.

"Missouri is a great place for us to be – the proximity to local talent and research partners gives us access to some of the best minds in the industry," said Pendleton. "Our research agreements with Missouri University of Science and Technology and St. Louis University are just one more way we are advancing technologies."

"Today marks another exciting chapter in Boeing's continued growth in St. Louis," Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said. "Already the headquarters of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, the company's St. Louis campus continues to grow and diversify, creating hundreds of high-tech jobs and strengthening our economy. This state-of-the-art research and technology center is a great testament to our enduring partnership with Boeing, the dedicated men and women who work there, and the strong bipartisan effort to position Missouri to compete for next-generation aerospace jobs."

BR&T is the company's advanced research and development organization, providing technologies that enable the development of future aerospace solutions while improving the cycle time, cost, quality and performance of existing Boeing products and services. BR&T-Missouri rounds out the company's 10 other research centers around the world in Australia, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Russia and the United States, including Alabama, California, South Carolina and Washington.