The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University provides research, design, testing, certification and training to the aviation, defense, manufacturing, and related industries. NIAR has a $400 million annual budget, a staff of 1,500 and nearly two million square feet of laboratory and office space in six locations across the city of Wichita, the Air Capital of the World. Core competencies include Industrial Modernization of Materials and Manufacturing; Digital Transformation and Sustainment Modernization; Test and Evaluation; Engineering, Certification, Modification and Prototyping; System Automation and Digital Manufacturing. NIAR is a department within the division of Industry and Defense Programs at Wichita State.