By Jill Wilkins, NewBoCo Executive Director
Six months ago, the Eastern Iowa Airport pitched a bold vision: leverage Iowa’s strength as an aviation powerhouse to build a world-class innovation cluster. Anchored by industry leaders like Collins Aerospace, BAE Systems, and 230+ other aerospace businesses, that initiative — known as Ascentus — has officially come to life. NewBoCo is proud to lead the innovation and entrepreneurship pillar of this initiative alongside our regional partners. Together, we are building the programs, capital networks, and support needed to position Iowa as a global aerospace destination.
We’ve built serious momentum over the last few months, and we are ready to move from planning to execution. Here is a look at our Phase I results, our Phase II roadmap, key lessons from mature aerospace hubs, and how you can help drive this work forward.
Phase I Milestones: Moving from Strategy to Execution
When JPMorganChase and the Iowa Economic Development Authority backed NewBoCo to lead this effort’s innovation and entrepreneurship track, we made a promise: we would spend Phase I doing the unglamorous work of mapping the landscape, convening with key leaders, and building an actionable strategy, and I’m proud to say we delivered.
Phase I produced:
- A Statewide Asset Map: An inventory of over 230 aerospace businesses and 50+ supporting resources spanning from Sioux City to Dubuque.
- A Dedicated Steering Committee: A working group of 15 cross-sector leaders from industry, academia, and government who now meet regularly to drive this initiative forward.
- National Cluster Research: Fact-finding site visits to established aerospace hubs — including Wichita, Kansas, and Huntsville, Alabama — to learn firsthand what it takes to scale an ecosystem like this.
Now, backed by a two-year, $500,000 commitment from JPMorgan Chase, we are moving from strategy to execution. During Phase II (from August 2026 to July 2028) we will deliver:
- A Searchable Resource & Business Portal: Transforming our Phase I asset map into a living, searchable tool that helps entrepreneurs, businesses, and researchers quickly find and connect with local capabilities.
- Statewide Convenings: Signature events, aerospace-focused Startup Sprints, hackathons, and pitch competitions designed to boost visibility and draw national attention to Iowa’s ecosystem.
- Collaborative Storytelling: Quarterly updates and targeted campaigns to keep our momentum visible within Iowa and across the national aerospace sector.
- Federal Grant Support: A dedicated specialist focused on capturing major federal funding streams that regions without a sustained pursuit strategy typically miss.
- Expanded Entrepreneur Support: Laying the groundwork for launch-stage funding (including a potential venture fund or studio), a statewide IP framework to commercialize lab research, and scholarships connecting founders to world-class assets like the University of Iowa’s Operator Performance Laboratory and Spaceflight Lab.
Underpinning all of this is our flagship goal of establishing a permanent Iowa Aerospace Technology Center (IATC) hangar at the airport, creating a physical center of gravity for aerospace innovation, testing, and workforce training in our region.
Key Takeaways from Established Aerospace Hubs
In late summer 2026, a working group visited Wichita, Kansas (the “Air Capital of the World”) and Huntsville, Alabama (the “Rocket City”) to study a mature aerospace cluster in action. A few key lessons stood out that are directly shaping how we sequence Phase II.
- Discipline Comes First: Long before Wichita built new facilities, it established an industry-prioritized needs list to guide every dollar spent. Similarly, Huntsville early on recognized the need for a direct workforce pipeline, leading to the development of the University of Alabama in Huntsville and, more recently, the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering. Locking down real industry priorities isn’t just a best practice — it’s the foundation that ensures infrastructure investments actually deliver ROI.
- Depth of Connection is Essential: Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) rests on trust-based, cross-sector relationships. Undergraduates there earn around $40 million annually through paid industry research on valuable tools like CATIA. Sustainable momentum doesn’t come from isolated projects — it requires deeply integrated ecosystems where industry, academia, and community move in lockstep.
- Iowa’s Advantages Offer Quick Wins: Rather than trying to match Wichita’s heavy manufacturing scale, our existing leadership in avionics, electronics, guidance, and communications gives us a faster path to differentiation. Drones/UAVs, hybrid-electric systems, and ag-adjacent innovations (like biostock-based composite materials) are areas where Iowa can move first and move fast.
We returned with valuable new relationships, validation for our strategic roadmap, and a clear verdict: Iowa’s existing talent pipeline — driven by Kirkwood Community College, Coe College, our public universities, and the Governor’s STEM initiatives — gives us a day-one advantage that most regions can only dream of.
Despite their differences, Wichita and Huntsville proved that building a cluster comes down to a few shared fundamentals: genuine public-private alignment, serious talent development, and collective patience.
How You Can Help Shape Iowa’s Aerospace Future
We can’t build this alone, and we’ve never pretended otherwise.
JPMorgan Chase has pledged $500,000 over two years, but that continued support depends on whether we can match this funding commitment. NewBoCo is now raising an additional $500,000 in local, state, and regional capital to keep this work moving at the speed this opportunity demands.
If you want to help shape Iowa’s aerospace future, here is how you can get involved:
- Invest in the matching fund: If you lead a company, foundation, or institution, let’s talk about funding opportunities.
- Make key introductions: Connect us with aerospace OEMs, investors, or industry experts who should have a seat at this table. Every connection accelerates our timeline.
Eleven years ago, NewBoCo set out with a bold mission of accelerating world-changing ideas from Iowa. Aerospace is one of the clearest opportunities we’ve ever had to do that at scale. The businesses, research institutions, and talent pipeline are already here; what we’re building now is the connective tissue to turn Iowa into a global aerospace destination.
Iowa’s next major industry isn’t waiting to be discovered — it’s ready to take flight. Let’s build it together.