NCInnovation Joins Statewide Partnership Launching the Western North Carolina Futures Factory
Collaboration strengthens North Carolina's innovation ecosystem by connecting university research, advanced manufacturing, and commercialization.
By Michelle Fiscus, Senior VP & Chief Communications Officer
Research Triangle Park, NC
July 28, 2026
NCInnovation joined federal, state, higher education, and industry leaders to celebrate the launch of the Western North Carolina Futures Factory, a transformative initiative that strengthens North Carolina's advanced manufacturing ecosystem by connecting university research, commercialization, workforce development, and industry.
Supported by the 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 discoveries with industry opportunities, expanding pathways that move promising technologies from the laboratory 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."
With Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College serving as the lead grant recipient of the Western North Carolina Futures Factory, the college will provide workforce training, manage the facility's operations and work with university, industry and workforce partners to ensure its programs respond 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 universities with strong commercial potential, 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."
The initiative reflects a broader evolution in North Carolina's approach to economic development. Increasingly, universities, manufacturers, community colleges, economic development organizations and commercialization partners are aligning around regional innovation ecosystems—recognizing that stronger regions create a stronger, more competitive North Carolina.
NCInnovation, Inc. is a Research Triangle Park, NC-based 501(c)(3) public-private partnership designed to accelerate commercialized innovation from North Carolina’s research universities. Backed by more than $25 million in private philanthropic commitments, NCInnovation uses the interest and income from a $500 million State-funded endowment to provide non-dilutive grant funding, mentors, and support services so that North Carolina university proofs-of-concept return value to the regional communities that created them. Learn more at NCInnovation.org.