Four high profile Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley institutions involved in energy and research – TVA, University of Tennessee (UT), Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) and the National Transportation Research Center Inc. (NTRCI) – will anchor a major new initiative supporting the auto industry.

Along with six other Southeastern universities, they have formed the Automotive Research Alliance (ARA) to provide a broad range of research resources to auto makers and suppliers.

“This leverages the very active auto supply and energy industries and research activities already underway in the Innovation Valley,” said Kim Denton, president of the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership.

The ARA will provide a broad range of research resources to automotive manufacturers and suppliers, including technology and manufacturing solutions as well as academic and training programs.

“We want to position the Alliance as a preferred source of industry-specific expertise, research, intellectual property and academic programs for the U.S. automotive industry,’’ said Ben Ritchey, acting president of NTRC, which will serve as the umbrella organization for the ARA.

In connection with the ARA announcement, Dr. Fred D. Tompkins, president of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation and Associate Vice President for Research, said the University of Tennessee will open a Center of Excellence focused on Automotive Supply Chain issues. The university has a nationally ranked logistics and supply chain curriculum.

Other universities involved in the ARA are Auburn, Clemson, Mississippi State, Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Alabama at Birmingham and Kentucky. Like the University of Tennessee, all are leading research institutes and are located in states with major automotive manufacturing and supply facilities.