The Center of Excellence for Airport Technology (CEAT) is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Center of Excellence with its home in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Founded in 1995 as the Center of Excellence for Airport Pavement Research, CEAT's goal is to support the FAA research and development program and develop the capacity, in a university setting, that can assist in addressing the FAA’s research and development needs.

CEAT research initially focused only on airport pavements, but broadened to address wildlife issues, anti-icing, and lighting. In 2004, the O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP) initiated a research program through CEAT that targets technical issues related to construction of new and extended runways at O'Hare International Airport.

Both the FAA and OMP recognize that our nation's airports require ongoing improvement in infrastructure and safety, made possible only through significant public investment and new technologies. CEAT’s research partnership delivers new knowledge that is relevant for improving performance, increasing capabilities and lowering costs. To accomplish this work, CEAT has assembled teams of leading academic researchers and students, and through CEAT we have built partnerships with the FAA, other federal agencies, airports, and industry.