University Park, Pa. (from the College of Engineering) — Pratt & Whitney has announced the establishment of strategic university partnerships with Penn State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

Pratt & Whitney will team with the universities on fundamental research initiatives that support the design and development of state-of-the-art gas turbine propulsion systems used in commercial, military and emerging technology and environmental programs.

At Penn State, the Colleges of Engineering and Earth and Mineral Sciences and the Applied Research Laboratory will be involved in the venture. The University's activities will be coordinated through the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.

In a press release, Paul Adams, senior vice president of Pratt & Whitney Engineering, explains, ''Georgia Tech, Penn State and Virginia Tech have outstanding technical capabilities that complement our fundamental research needs and we are excited about expanding our partnerships with these institutions. Pratt & Whitney has invested significantly in engineering capability and is committed to differentiating our technologies through investment in fundamental research and development.''

The universities will strategically partner with Pratt & Whitney in combustion, materials, aerodynamics, heat transfer, structural analysis, design, testing and sensors. Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and commercial building industries.