The Tech Hubs Program

UNC Charlotte is one of only two North Carolina organizations to receive funding from the EDA’s inaugural Tech Hubs Program. The Carolinas Innovation Center for Optics and Metrology (CICOM) Tech Hub is focused on technologies and innovation critical to U.S. economic and national security. The CICOM region of service spans 16 counties across North and South Carolina and the inaugural consortium included 25 industry and organizational partners.

According to Bill LaPlante, Undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Defense, “Today, the U.S. is in a technological and economic race to maintain its manufacturing edge, particularly as it concerns critical defense systems, such as satellites, advanced munitions, and communications technologies." Emerging technology developments within the CICOM consortium will catalyze local job creation, regional inclusive economic growth, national competitiveness, and global awareness of the innovation capacity of the Greater Charlotte region.