GE Appliances, University of Kentucky announce agreement to collaborate on research projects for major household appliances

Nevin Barich

LEXINGTON, Kentucky , June 14, 2013 (Lexington Herald-Leader) – The University of Kentucky and GE Appliances have agreed to collaborate on research projects in the field of major appliances.

UK President Eli Capilouto and vice president for research James W. Tracy joined GE Appliances president and CEO Chip Blankenship Thursday in Louisville to announce the agreement on licensing and sharing of "jointly developed intellectual property."

The agreement specifies terms and conditions, and it establishes parameters for future research projects.

"Designing and manufacturing home appliances requires expertise in multiple branches of science and engineering," GE vice president Kevin Nolan said. "The research agreement between GE Appliances and UK provides the framework for working together on challenging problems and helps us leverage the technical expertise at UK."

Tracy said the partnership would help faculty and students with research that has real-world applications.

"We have talented scientists working in a diverse array of disciplines -- such as engineering, energy and lean-systems manufacturing -- whose expertise will be called upon as GE continually seeks to innovate its products and its processes," he said. "Both sides stand to reap great dividends from this relationship.

UK and GE will collaborate on projects to improve the functionality and durability of GE's appliances, such as extending the life of water-using products and continuing the work GE engineers have started to improve water filtration technologies.

In the near future, GE Appliances will work with UK's Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing to explore new manufacturing technologies and practices.

Linda Blackford: (859) 231-1359. Twitter: @lbblackford.

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