The U.S.Department of Defense (DoD) research organization that was key in developing the Internet half a century ago, has identified a Wake Forest technology accelerator to support next-generation technologies with both civilian and military applications. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has chosen the Wireless Research Center of North Carolina (WRC) as one of its five DARPA Commercial Accelerators, tasked with facilitating the rapid commercialization and scaling of DARPA-funded technologies.
“This distinction further elevates the Town of Wake Forest’s global visibility in the technology industry,” says Jason Cannon, President of the Wake Forest Business & Industry Partnership (WFBIP). “The Wireless Research Center has been at the heart of the Town’s innovation community for 15 years, and we’re proud that it has been recognized by one of the U.S. government’s premier research organizations as a partner in advancing game-changing solutions that strengthen the nation’s economy and national security.”
Accelerators in Boston, Austin, Northern Virginia, and Menlo Park, California, join the Wireless Research Center as part of the DARPA Commercial Accelerators.
“DARPA’s mission remains steadfast in pushing the boundaries of science and technology to prevent and create technological surprises,” says Sha-Chelle Manning, Chief of Commercial Strategy at DARPA. “With these regional accelerators, we can ensure more DARPA-funded teams can recruit top talent, develop robust go-to-market strategies, raise capital, and scale operations, turning groundbreaking technology into high value for national, economic, and societal impact.”
As a DARPA Commercial Accelerator, the WRC will play a key role in enhancing and scaling DARPA’s Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative (EEI) pilot program. This program provides funding to connect start-up technology developers, known as “performers,” with commercialization experts. Since 2022, the EEI program has supported DARPA performers in raising over $1 billion in private investment capital and launching over 21 new products, services, and capabilities. Larger businesses have also been involved, with U.S. corporations investing $639 million in acquisitions of early-stage DARPA technologies.
“DARPA flows opportunities through the five accelerators into the eco-system,” explains Gerry Hayes, President of WRC, which occupies about 12,000 square-feet of space on Heritage Trade Drive off Rogers Road in Wake Forest. The Center’s reputation for independence and integrity has helped it forge trust among government partners and tech start-ups. “One of the things DARPA likes about us is our neutrality and our ability to handle sensitive information,” Hayes says. “The Wireless Research Center has been supporting DoD and government applications since our inception.”
Hayes, an electrical engineer with more than 75 patents to his credit, founded the WRC in 2010. Its tenants have included Green Stream Technologies, a company specializing in flood and weather monitoring systems, and 0 Base Design, which specializes in energy conversion and recovery technologies, complex real-time sensor and processing systems, and other advanced engineering solutions.
DARPA-supported technologies will serve both national security and civilian uses. “There is a military application side with a dual use,” Hayes explains. Some of these technologies focus on medical, networking, hardware, and data management. “The applications are pretty broad,” he says, “but they all have a technology facet to them – and more than just wireless.”
The DARPA designation is just one element of the Center’s broader vision. “Our mission is socio-technical in scope,” Hayes says. The WRC’s Regional Internet of Things (RIoT) program has generated interest from the economic development community as “smart” systems re-invent and deliver mission-critical government services like public safety, traffic management, emergency services, and transit. Additionally, WRC’s Digital Bridge initiative focuses on workforce development and tech literacy.
“We’ve also been pivoting more toward DoD and government applications,” Hayes notes. “That enhances our ability to serve the Wake Forest communityt and the region. WRC is part of Wake Forest and that’s what makes the accelerator program exciting.”
WRC leaders also hope to upgrade the Center’s equipment with $3.5 million in federal funding through the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). U.S. Senator Thom Tillis and U.S. Representative Deborah Ross are working to secure Congressional passage of the funds, which will be used to purchase new equipment and testing capabilities, including network emulators, signal generators, spectrum analyzers, and simulation software. The funds will position the Center “to support opportunities more effectively across a broad range of activities with commercial organizations and federal agencies (including DoD, DHS, DoT, FAA, and NOAA),” Rep. Ross explained in a letter to U.S. House Appropriations Committee leaders.
DARPA, founded in the wake of the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of Sputnik, is driven by a mission “to create technological surprise for U.S. national security.” Its leadership pioneered the Internet in the 1960s as a means for military communication and coordination in the event of nuclear war. DARPA has also supported the development of GPS systems, voice recognition software, “stealth” technology, unmanned aerial vehicles, and the COVID-19 vaccine. The Economist magazine has described DARPA as "the agency that shaped the modern world."
