Boeing has opened a new research and technology centre in St Louis, Missouri, which will be used as a regional hub for collaborative technology development with academic institutions and research partners in systems technology.

The facility has more than 180,000ft² of space that is dedicated to the creation and development of technologies for use in current and future Boeing products.

The Boeing Research & Technology Missouri research centre was first announced in 2013.

BR&T Missouri research centre leader Nancy Pendleton said: "We’re building a deeply talented workforce here that will make important contributions to future products.

"The new BR&T Missouri research centre allows access to and development of cutting-edge technologies across a broad spectrum of research areas, which will help launch the next hundred years of innovation."

"Our research agreements with Missouri University of Science and Technology and St Louis University are just one more way we are advancing technologies."

"We’re building a deeply talented workforce here that will make important contributions to future products."

The new centre has a non-destructive test lab, human systems integration centre, a polymer synthesis lab, and the soon-to-be-built collaborative autonomous systems lab.

More than 700 engineers, technicians and staff will be engaged in the development of various technologies that include systems, digital aviation and support technology, rate-independent production and next-generation materials at BR&T Missouri.

Missouri governor Jay Nixon said: "Today marks another exciting chapter in Boeing’s continued growth in St Louis.

"Already the headquarters of Boeing Defence, Space & Security, the company’s St Louis campus continues to grow and diversify, creating hundreds of high-tech jobs and strengthening our economy.

"This state-of-the-art research and technology centre is a great testament to our enduring partnership with Boeing, the dedicated men and women who work there, and the strong bipartisan effort to position Missouri to compete for next-generation aerospace jobs."

Boeing has ten other research centres worldwide in Australia, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Russia and the US.