Cedar Rapids Gazette: Research and development at Collins Aerospace could be on track to grow in Iowa, with its parent company poised to invest billions into innovation in the coming years. Since June 9, when United Technologies Corp. and Raytheon Co. announced their agreement to merge into Raytheon Technologies Corp., company executives have touted a planned $8 billion annual R&D budget as one of their foremost selling points for the deal. That figure supplements the $15 billion sum UTC said last May it would invest in R&D and capacity expansion. One factor that could make a difference in determining where Raytheon Technologies Corp. bases future research is Iowa’s Research Activities tax credit, the top claimant for which historically has been Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids.