Calspan lands $40M federal contract

Date: Monday, September 12, 2011, 12:16pm EDT

David Bertola

Buffalo Business First Reporter -Business First

Calspan has been awarded a five-year, $40 million contract through the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct automobile crash research.

Under the contract, the company will operate the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) Zone Center 1 for the Department of Transportation and operate all crash research for NASS in the eastern U.S.

The contract, according to company officials, is Calspan's largest.

Calspan President Louis Knotts announced Monday that the research will support the NASS database, which is used to support highway safety initiatives. Calspan's NASS presence consists of 71 employees supporting field operations in 13 satellite offices. Among those are around 25 at Calspan's corporate headquarters on Genesee Street in Cheektowaga.

The execution of this important program has far-reaching implications with respect to vehicle safety, said Knotts. We are proud to have expanded our prominent role in leading this critical research.

The NASS program collects crash data from throughout the United States to analyze motor vehicle crashes and injuries. The data is used for a variety of purposes, including assessing highway safety, identifying potential highway safety problems, and evaluating crash performance and vehicle safety systems.

Calspan's vice president of transportation, Joseph Dunlop, said that because of the grant, the company could possibly double its 71-person NASS staff by its second year.

The company is also expanding its offerings and exploring the establishment of a $35 million global transportation facility at its Genesee Street headquarters. It would test and develop a range of transportation safety and protective barrier systems. Doing so, said Calspan executive vice president John Yurtchuk, will allow us to improve testing and create a new standard in vehicle avoidance and collision safety.

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