Deal partners AllianceTexas' Mobility Innovation Zone with Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Hillwood, the development firm behind AllianceTexas, announced last week that it had reached an agreement with Texas A&M Transportation Institute for the institute to become the official research partner for AllianceTexas’ Mobility Innovation Zone.

A release announcing the agreement heralded how the partnership might "leverage the experience and expertise of TTI's nationally recognized team of researchers and forward-thinkers with the MIZ's capacity and capabilities."

"Our partnership with TTI is a natural pairing for the next phase of research and development at the MIZ, and we cannot wait to see where our partnership will take us in changing the mobility landscape of the region and nation," said Ian Kinne, Hillwood's director of logistics innovation, in a statement. "TTI ensures we have the research-backed results needed to not only set the standard for, but also make significant advancements in, budding mobility technology."

The MIZ was first announced in 2019 and functions as infrastructure in which partner organizations can test, scale and work to commercialize developing technologies in the field of mobility. It is anchored by an "ecosystem" that includes proximity to Fort Worth Alliance Airport and AllianceTexas' adjacent intermodal hub.

Per the release, the TTI will conduct research, manage strategic initiatives and serve as a think tank for new opportunities for the MIZ. The TTI is a higher education-affiliated transportation research agency with expertise in engineering, planning, economics policy, landscape architecture and several other areas of areas of research.

"As budding surface and air mobility technologies take off, our research partnership with Hillwood at the AllianceTexas MIZ reinforces TTI's ongoing commitment to testing and scaling innovations that impact the way we live," TTI agency director Greg Winfree said. "The location and capabilities that the MIZ offers provide an unparalleled sandbox for research and development that will move business, goods and people forward."

To learn more about the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone, go here.

To learn more about the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, go here.