What can central Arizona, particularly the East Valley, learn from central Florida?

University officials and representatives of the private sector gathered Friday at ASU Polytechnic in east Mesa to launch a new research facility pairing Arizona State University with the aerospace and defense industries.

University officials and representatives of the private sector gathered Friday at ASU Polytechnic in east Mesa to launch a new research facility pairing Arizona State University with the aerospace and defense industries.

University officials and representatives of the private sector gathered Friday at ASU Polytechnic in east Mesa to launch a new research facility pairing Arizona State University with the aerospace and defense industries.

While the big businesses in aerospace and defense like Honeywell and Boeing get a lot of the headlines, small companies form the East Valley’s backbone and growing business in the sector.

The advisory board of the Arizona Aerospace Institute is on track to complete its business plan by the end of this year and hopes to have a staff in place to begin operations within six months, a board member said Tuesday.

There's no brick-and-mortar space yet. Not even a virtual presence. But the planned Arizona Aerospace Institute now has at least one formal international connection.

You’ve probably never heard of Restricted Area 2310.

Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) has awarded $1 million in grant funding to Arizona State University to work with academic and aerospace and defense industry partners through an Aerospace and Defense Research Collaboratory. The grant will help the consortium develop and strengthen technologies used in aerospace and military applications. ASU was selected by peer review through a competitive grant process.

Our View: It sounds like such a great idea, it’s difficult to believe no one has thought of it before. Build a new research institute dedicated to a poorly recognized bedrock of the Arizona economy — the aerospace industry.

A consortium of influential political and industry leaders plan to establish a research and development institute in southeast Mesa to advance Arizona's aerospace industry.

The East Valley Aviation and Aerospace Alliance (EVAAA) has created the first East Valley Aviation and Aerospace Academy. The academy is a program created for community leaders interested in knowing more about the importance and impact of the aviation and aerospace industries in the East Valley.

The topic was nuclear and solar energy last week as a group of Arizona leaders met with the Wall Street Journal during a Grand Canyon state lobbying blitz on the nation’s capital.

The topic was nuclear and solar energy last week as a group of Arizona leaders met with the Wall Street Journal during a Grand Canyon state lobbying blitz on the nation’s capital.

In a changing sector, a business accelerator symposium will be held Wednesday to help aerospace and defense small companies find a new direction to grow.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught the word "aerospace" and the letters "WV."

It’s a typical day along Boeing Co.’s production line turning out Apache AH-64D helicopters, new and remanufactured.

It’s a typical day along Boeing Co.’s production line turning out Apache AH-64D helicopters, new and remanufactured.

Many in Arizona's aviation industry support the concept of the Arizona Aerospace Institute, saying it could encourage collaboration in research among the industry, private labs and academia.

Jim Ripley, for the Tribune

Jim Ripley, for the Tribune

Jim Ripley, for the Tribune

ATK, a Fortune 500 aerospace, security, sporting goods and defense company, plans to lay off about 16 percent of its employees at its Mesa facility on Thursday.

East Valley companies scooped up three of the five Manufacturer of the Year awards presented Tuesday night by the Arizona Association of Industries.