NCInnovation Joins Statewide Partnership Launching the Western North Carolina Futures Factory
This week, NCInnovation joined, federal, state, higher education and industry leaders to celebrate the launch of the Western North Carolina Futures Factory, which will strengthen North Carolina’s advance manufacturing ecosystem by connecting the university research, commercialization, workforce development and industry.
The project is supported by U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). The 70,000-square-foot Western North Carolina Futures Factory will serve as a hub where university researchers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and workforce partners can develop, validate and scale emerging technologies while accelerating innovation and strengthening the state's manufacturing economy. As a strategic partner, NCInnovation will help accelerate commercialization by connecting university discovering with industry opportunity, expanding pathways that move promising technologies from the laboratories to the marketplace.
"NCInnovation was created to help more university research create economic opportunity for North Carolina," said Michelle Bolas, president and CEO of NCInnovation. "The Futures Factory expands that mission by connecting commercialization with one of the state's most significant economic development initiatives. It strengthens the partnerships between universities, manufacturers, workforce organizations and economic developers that help move promising technologies into the marketplace and position North Carolina for the next generation of innovation-led growth."
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College is the lead grant recipient of the Wester North Carolina Futures Factory. The institution will provide workforce training, manage the facility’s operation and work with the stakeholders to ensure the program is responding to the evolving needs of North Carolina’s advanced manufacturing economy.
"The Futures Factory represents a new model for advanced manufacturing innovation in North Carolina. By bringing together higher education, industry and organizations like NCInnovation, we're creating a place where ideas can move more quickly from research into real-world manufacturing applications while preparing today's students for tomorrow's workforce,” said Dr. John Gossett, president of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
NCInnovation supports applied research at North Carolina’s public university with strong commercial protentional, providing funding, strategic guidance and industry connections that help researchers advance technologies toward commercialization. The Futures Factory complements that work by expanding opportunities for pilot manufacturing, industry engagement and technology validation. Participating universities—including North Carolina A&T State University, UNC Asheville, Appalachian State University, North Carolina State University, UNC Charlotte and Western Carolina University—will play a central role in bringing faculty expertise, research capabilities and industry partnerships together to help move more discoveries beyond the laboratory.
"Helping solve North Carolina's biggest challenges is central to UNC Charlotte's mission as a public research university," said John Daniels, vice chancellor for research. "We're proud to contribute our expertise alongside partners across the state to support Western North Carolina's recovery and long-term economic success."
"The Futures Factory initiative is a perfect expression of our commitment to energizing partnerships for research commercialization, one of our key research priorities," said Dr. Christine Ogilvie Hendren, vice chancellor of research and innovation at Appalachian State University. "By bridging the gap between innovation and the marketplace, we strengthen the practical application of important discoveries that benefit local communities, produce the next generations of problem-solvers and build economic resilience in our region."
This is part of a broad evolution of North Carolina’s approach to economic development. Western North Carolina receives the least amount of research and development funding; a key driver of economic growth in the Research Triangle.
