NC State University has joined the North Carolina Critical Technologies Alliance, aligning the state’s largest public research university with a growing statewide coalition dedicated to expanding North Carolina’s defense technology, defense manufacturing and dual-use technology sectors.

The membership builds directly on NC State’s December 2025 launch of its Defense and Security Institute — an initiative designed to grow the university’s capacity to compete for large-scale Department of Defense research programs, strengthen connections with military and national security partners, and develop a workforce pipeline aligned with national security priorities.

“Joining the North Carolina Critical Technologies Alliance is a natural extension of what we’re building with our Defense and Security Institute,” said Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Krista Walton. “Our university is not simply participating in defense research — we’re working to anchor North Carolina’s role as a national leader in defense innovation.” 

NC State brings a depth of research infrastructure and technical capability that strengthens the Alliance’s collective capacity. That includes NC State’s Laboratory for Analytic Sciences, the DoD-funded CLAWS microelectronics hub, the Southeast’s first long-duration Mach 6 hypersonic wind tunnel, a CMMC Level 2 certification that enables classified and controlled research, and a selection to the Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD contracting vehicle supporting the nation’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative. 

By joining the Alliance, NC State is aligning these assets with broader development goals — making the university’s capabilities, relationships and talent more accessible to the defense companies, manufacturers and innovators working to grow North Carolina’s share of the national defense economy.

“The Alliance gives NC State a stronger platform to connect our faculty, capabilities and industry partners to the state’s broader defense economy — and to demonstrate together that North Carolina is ready to compete for and win major defense investment,” Vice Chancellor Walton said.

NC State leads the UNC System in defense research, with DoD-funded projects in all 10 colleges totaling $49 million in annual expenditures, according to the most recent NSF Higher Education Research and Development survey (2024). NC State research is sponsored by and supports a wide range of agencies, including but not limited to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Army Research Laboratory, XVIII Airborne Corps, Air Force Research Laboratory and Naval Surface Warfare Center.

The Alliance will provide a critical link between NC State’s research enterprise and the defense companies, manufacturers and policymakers across the state working to elevate North Carolina’s profile and grow its defense economy. 

“We have the expertise, the infrastructure and the urgency,” Walton said. “What the Alliance helps us do is ensure those assets are visible, coordinated and connected to economic opportunity for companies and communities across North Carolina.”

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About NC State’s Defense and Security Institute 

The Defense and Security Institute (in planning) strategically coordinates defense-related research efforts at NC State. The Institute will grow NC State’s defense and national security research portfolio; build the necessary infrastructure to maintain compliance with contracting agencies’ requirements; and develop faculty, staff and students equipped to work in the national security environment.

About the North Carolina Critical Technologies Alliance 

The North Carolina Critical Technologies Alliance is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization supporting the growth of North Carolina’s dual-use technology and defense manufacturing economy. The Alliance organizes leading defense institutions and companies across the state to develop and advance policy at the federal and state levels, and supports early-stage founders in the defense and dual-use space through curated venture capital engagements.