Ventura County in California has been awarded a $500,000 grant to establish an Advanced Air Mobility Innovation Center.
The planned Innovation Center will feature a 500-square-mile testing range for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) at Camarillo Airport (KCMA) and Oxnard Airport (KOXR). It will offer research facilities, business resources, and workforce training.
The airports will manage testing for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Testing will comprise about 5% of daily airport activities, according to county officials.
Predevelopment activities will begin immediately, with funding to be invested by summer 2026, county officials added.
The Innovation Center involves four partners: the County of Ventura’s Economic Vitality Unit, the County’s Department of Airports, FutureLabs/Fathomwerx, and the Ventura County Community College District. The Economic Vitality Unit will manage the center’s programming, while the Department of Airports provides facilities and manages airspace testing. FutureLabs/Fathomwerx will facilitate technology transfer between private companies and Naval Base Ventura County. The Ventura County Community College District will develop workforce training programs.
The grant is part of a $9 million Catalyst Predevelopment Funding Program from Uplift Central Coast, an organization that provides grants to support community-driven projects that promote equity, sustainability, and regional resilience. The county’s project was selected as one of 36 regional initiatives across six Central Coast counties that support economic vitality.
“This grant represents a significant milestone in our efforts to position Ventura County as a leader in Advanced Air Mobility and next-generation transportation technology,” said Estelle Bussa, Deputy Executive Officer of Economic Vitality. “Through strategic partnerships with FutureLabs/Fathomwerx, the Ventura County Community College District, and our Department of Airports, we’re creating an ecosystem that will attract high-tech companies while ensuring our local workforce benefits from these opportunities.”
For more information: Ventura.org, UpliftCentralCoast.org
This is great news and the proximity to both Pt Mugu and Edwards AFB will be very helpful in transitioning new technology to DoD projects.
Only in California….wasting another half million on something for which there is no real market. If a market existed, there would be no need for a grant.