Washington State has a long history of being at the forefront of innovation and successfully bringing revolutionary ideas to the marketplace. Whether it’s new protocols to improve health care and cure diseases to next-generation composite materials and robotics that advances manufacturing, our research and development institutions and professionals provide the expertise needed to move a new idea to reality.
Currently the University of Washington Aeronautical Laboratory is testing a supersonic jet designed by Nevada-based Aerion. The prototype for testing was produced by another local company, Aeronautical Testing Service based in Arlington, Washington. Read more in The Seattle Times. Washington’s century of aerospace know-how is helping Aerion refine the design of their latest supersonic business jet.
Washington State is home to two major research universities, University of Washington and Washington State University, as well as the renowned Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Additionally, there are 65 two- and four-year public and private educational institutions that produce a highly trained workforce and opportunities for research across industry sectors. Washington is ranked #1 in Innovation Capacity by the International Technology & Innovation Foundation (2014) based in part on the share of jobs in high-tech, workers in science and engineering fields, the number of patents and venture capital invested. 82% of all R&D is conducted by private firms.