The University of Arizona and Honeywell have signed a "memorandum of understanding" to collaborate new research projects.

The primary purpose of the research agreement is to eliminate much of the red tape inherent in any joint research project between industry and academia.

If issues such a intellectual copyright, technology transfer, and patents had to be negotiated separately for every single research project conducted jointly by UA and Honeywell, progress would be painfully slow and opportunities would be missed.

At an agreement-signing ceremony Nov. 18, UA College of Engineering Dean Jeff Goldberg said the college had been working on the agreement for at least 5 years. "It's not an easy process, but it has huge value," Goldberg said. "It will allow our faculty to initiate joint research without having to jump so many administrative hurdles."

One of the agreement signatories was Ron Rich, vice president of propulsion systems at Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix. He said Honeywell, which is involved in aerospace, transportation, control systems, and materials, is the third biggest employer in Arizona. "This agreement is an opportunity to do better things together," he said.

The other signatory was Leslie Tolbert, the UA's vice president for research, graduate studies, and economic development. "It's really important to us have much broader and deeper relationships," she said. "This benefits both of us.

Although the UA College of Engineering is an obvious research partner for Honeywell, Tolbert also encouraged Honeywell to seek research collaborations across the UA campus. "A hallmark of this university is that we work across boundaries," she said.

Honeywell's aerospace business is based in Phoenix, and the company is a major global provider of avionics, engines, systems and service for aircraft manufacturers, the military, and space and airport operations.