UK DBT - Export Opportunity: Gerald Ford International Airport Michigan - Applications accepted 1 April - 30 June 2024.
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority, in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Seamless Ventures, Southwest Airlines® and the West Michigan Aviation Academy, has introduced the Ford Launchpad for Innovative Technologies and Entrepreneurship, or FLITE, which provides grants and pilot-testing opportunities to companies focused on bringing emerging air travel technology solutions to market. The program is an opportunity to potentially secure grant funding, undergo field testing in a live airport environment, and gain exposure to a number of other US and Canadian airports.
The Ford International Airport has identified six core focus areas for new technology advancements through FLITE:
- Automation & Analytics: Improving operational efficiency and optimization of workforce and other resources through automation and analysis of data.
- Electrification & Sustainability: Switching fossil fuel vehicles and infrastructure to electrics and other decarbonization projects.
- Safety & Security: Strengthening passenger and worker safety and security throughout the airport campus.
- Door-to-Door & Terminal Guest Experience: Improving the efficiency of getting to and from the airport and improving the pre-boarding experience.
- Advancing Aviation: Exploring the enabling infrastructure and implications of emerging commercial aviation use cases.
For more information, contact Laurence Goodwin (US Desk Officer, UKDSE) or Iain Whitaker, Senior Trade and Investment Officer for Defence, Security and Space based at the British Consulate in Chicago.