The way for the program is being paved by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

ICAR’s graduate program has 135 students, its biggest class ever.

Director of ICAR’s graduate program, Imtiaz Haque said the grant designates Clemson’s program as a “center of excellence.”

It is one of seven centers across the country.

“The GATE Center of Excellence in Sustainable Vehicle Systems will help our students gain the strength in innovation that is key to our automotive industry remaining competitive in world markets,” Haque said.

Barker said the industry is looking for “a different kind of engineer,” and this will put Clemson on the map.

He said the university needs to assure graduates in today’s economy that they can find work when they graduate.

Barker made the announcement during opening remarks at the second annual Automotive Transatlantic Summit, which is being held today and Tuesday.

An international group of political and industry leaders are at the summit to address competitiveness, economic development and future of the global auto industry. The two-day conference features a broad array of international experts in the automotive field, addressing critical areas in American and European automotive competition, including smart innovation processes, new trends in mobility and the implications for vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. The conference is hosted by CU-ICAR and the Automotive Intelligence Center of Bilbao, Spain.

CU-ICAR is located at 5 Research Drive at Interstate 85 exit 48 in Greenville.

The way for the program is being paved by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

ICAR’s graduate program has 135 students, its biggest class ever.

Director of ICAR’s graduate program, Imtiaz Haque said the grant designates Clemson’s program as a “center of excellence.”

It is one of seven centers across the country.

“The GATE Center of Excellence in Sustainable Vehicle Systems will help our students gain the strength in innovation that is key to our automotive industry remaining competitive in world markets,” Haque said.

Barker said the industry is looking for “a different kind of engineer,” and this will put Clemson on the map.

He said the university needs to assure graduates in today’s economy that they can find work when they graduate.

Barker made the announcement during opening remarks at the second annual Automotive Transatlantic Summit, which is being held today and Tuesday.

An international group of political and industry leaders are at the summit to address competitiveness, economic development and future of the global auto industry. The two-day conference features a broad array of international experts in the automotive field, addressing critical areas in American and European automotive competition, including smart innovation processes, new trends in mobility and the implications for vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. The conference is hosted by CU-ICAR and the Automotive Intelligence Center of Bilbao, Spain.

CU-ICAR is located at 5 Research Drive at Interstate 85 exit 48 in Greenville.