OU gets $3M federal grant for automotive wireless communication research

Oakland University has received a $3 million grant to equip a lab for the research and development of wireless communication systems in vehicles, officials said.

The university received the grant, which will be used for the school's Vehicular Wireless Communications System Testing and Standards Facility Program, from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

A part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the agency works to advance measurement science, standards and technology to foster innovation, boost American industries' competitiveness and improve Americans' quality of life.

Congresswoman Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, announced Monday the institute awarded the grant to the school.

"This critical funding will support research, development, and workforce training in the burgeoning field of connected vehicle technology," she said in a statement. "This is an opportunity for Oakland County to become a leader in developing the connectivity economy and provide new, American-made technology to revolutionize transportation."

Daniel Aloi, a professor in Oakland University's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, welcomed news of the award.

"We are elated," he said Tuesday. "Especially because of what it means for our students the and broader impact on the region. We probably will be the first independent facility like this in North America to have these kinds of capabilities."

Aloi, who is also chair of the university's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, said the grant will be used to purchase and install technology that will be used to test antennae as well as retrofit the building in which the testing facility will be housed.

He said the building is owned by the university and located in the M-59 and Adams Road area about 2 miles from its Rochester campus. The goal is to open the facility in early 2025, he added.

Once completed, the facility will enable the study of wireless systems for connecting vehicles and transmitting information to them in addition to those used in autonomous driving.

Oakland University currently has outdoor antenna range facilities and an antenna measurement chamber facility. Companies in the automotive and military sectors have used them to test the performance of antennas and wireless systems.

Aloi said automakers and automotive suppliers visit the university's existing facilities to research and test antennae technology for wireless communications and global positioning systems.

The arrangement benefits the school and the businesses. Instead of investing in facilities of their own, which can be expensive, companies can rent those at the university, he explained. At the same time, the fees the university collects from their use of the labs are used to support them and fund student programs, Aloi said.

Auto companies and suppliers will be able to use the new facility once it opens, he said.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

X: @CharlesERamirez