The Boeing Advanced Research Collaboration (BARC) is a strategic initiative that builds on the long-standing partnership between UW and Boeing in aerospace manufacturing. The BARC brings together Boeing engineers, UW College of Engineering faculty and students, and researchers from other disciplines at UW to work on joint projects that address the challenges and opportunities of aircraft manufacturing.
The BARC is the collaborative umbrella for all research between Boeing and the UW. For example, it encompasses the BARC Lab, formerly known as the Boeing Advanced Research Center, where innovative solutions for the factory floor are developed and tested. The BARC also integrates the Boeing Data-driven Engineering Education & Research Initiative and industry capstone projects, along with pursuing new sponsored programs of research, education, and workforce development across different departments at UW.
BARC is part of the UW College of Engineering’s strategic research area of Engineering and Manufacturing, where the goals are to become research leaders in next-generation advanced manufacturing and strengthen the innovation ecosystem in the State of Washington and the nation. Focusing on aerospace manufacturing, BARC aims to foster:
- collaborative basic and applied research,
- transformational research and development, and
- student education-related activities.
Through these activities, the BARC has contributed to advancing technology adoption, delivering engineering solutions, and preparing future engineers and leaders for the aerospace industry and beyond.
A brief timeline of BARC