For all of 2023, the Emerging Technology Institute (ETI) has served as ground zero for budding technologies, future scientists and most recently, government contracts being connected and established. 

Located at 16824 NC-211 in Red Springs, ETI’s campus has been the hot spot for events specifically aimed at connecting local small businesses with large government buyers. 

From June 5-9, the ETI campus was host to the United States Special Operations Command's third Technical Experimentation event for 2023. Over 400 daily participants and more than 60 vendors from around the world traveled to be part of the event, which gave each vendor one on one time with the primary buyers for different government organizations. According to Founder and President of ETI James Freeman, the event allows both parties to gain valuable insight; the vendors get one on one time with buyers to help discover their needs and how their products can fill them and the buyers get up close and personal with vendors who can offer solutions. 

“The process to do business with the government funnels people through different avenues. The USSOCOM event is an event where if you submit you get selected and you do all the necessary steps, you now get in front of the customers that you want and talk to them. And they validate what you’re doing based off of their mission priorities,” said Freeman. “So now you get to know what you need to build, what you need to change, what you don’t need to change.”

Anyone who was unable to attend or become a vendor will have other opportunities to get involved in fall of 2023. ETI is preparing to host their next event, the Defense Manufacturing Summit & Exhibition which will be held on the campus on Sept. 7 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This will be the first time ETI hosts this event, which will feature defense manufacturing networking opportunities. Guests will be able to learn about resources available to manufacturers in North Carolina, innovative technologies and new products and research specifically in support of the warfighter. ETI partnered with North Carolina State University’s Industry Expansion Solutions Defense Industry Initiatives whose grant contributions helped make the event possible.

The event will include a trade show, which will showcase products and services from businesses in and beyond North Carolina. 

“We’re working strong with North Carolina State University, very strong with the Fayetteville [Cumberland] Economic Development Corporation with Rob Patton and Children of Fallen Heroes, which is a nonprofit. We’re gathering vendors to come demonstrate. We’ve got breakout sessions with the Defense Logistics Agency, the Small Business Administration, there’s a state legislator breakout session where discussion is going to happen with legislation. There’s so many different things happening back and forth throughout that day, people are going to once again have an opportunity to network to share ideas, to showcase technologies,” said Freeman.

The partnership between ETI and higher governments will continue to bring events to the area through late 2023 with another connectivity event being announced. 

In partnership with the Office of Undersecretary of Defense Research and Engineering, ETI will be hosting their Thunderstorm Technology Discovery 23-5: “Golden Window” Innovative Medical & Casualty Logistics event from Oct. 23 - 27. 

Expanding from a focus on manufacturing, this event will focus on innovative solutions for medical and casualty care logistics.

“This event is about innovation, innovative medical and casualty logistics. The purpose is how do we determine how to fly and use drones and other devices to deliver medical goods to the battlefield. If someone gets shot, how do we use a new emerging technology to get to that person on the battlefield? This will bring in, just like USSOCOM, 50, 60,70 vendors from all across the world who have these resources to do these types of techniques,” said Freeman.

As the opportunities arise for smaller area businesses to network and potentially be awarded large government contracts, Freeman shared that he hopes people in the community will take a chance and get involved in these events, and thanks the community for helping ETI grow to a place to be able to bring these events to the area. 

“I think the biggest statement that I can make is that it would not be without the ecosystem that’s already existing in North Carolina. I say that because there’s great people and great organizations that are really trying to work together. And what happens is, you get all these folks together and everybody is doing these projects and getting these awards and opportunities. You start needing each other’s help so then they get subcontracts from you and they keep turning and then you get the interns from them. It just becomes kind of like a tornado effect. And that’s why North Carolina is the best place to do business. It’s not all about the opportunity, it’s the people that makes this place great,” said Freeman. 

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Learn more about opportunities coming to the area through ETI on their website: www.eticommunity.com.