Industry-academia partnership advances research, develops North Carolina engineering talent, and strengthens the future of layered defense.

Mooresville, NC — July 2026 — MSI Defense Solutions and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have entered a collaborative seed project focused on launched effects in support of future layered defense capabilities. The initiative brings together industry and academia to foster research, develop engineering talent, and reinforce North Carolina's growing role in defense innovation.

The project is being conducted in partnership with the National Defense & Intelligence Innovation Institute (NDI3) at UNC Charlotte, the University's hub for defense-focused research, technology transition, workforce development, and collaboration with government and industry. By connecting academic research with real-world defense engineering challenges, NDI3 helps accelerate innovation while preparing the next generation of engineers and defense professionals.

Through the partnership, MSI Defense Solutions will sponsor a UNC Charlotte graduate student who will work alongside company engineers and university researchers. The project provides meaningful, hands-on experience while supporting research in an area of increasing importance to the defense community. It reflects a shared commitment to advancing layered defense through academic collaboration, applied research, and workforce development.

"As a North Carolina company, we recognize that innovation begins with investing in people. Partnering with UNC Charlotte allows us to help develop future engineering talent while exploring technologies that support the evolving needs of the warfighter. We believe industry and academia each bring unique strengths, and together we can accelerate meaningful innovation."

— Nguyen Trinh, CEO and President, MSI Defense Solutions

The project reinforces MSI's long-standing commitment to North Carolina's defense ecosystem by connecting higher education, applied research, and industry. Together, MSI Defense Solutions and UNC Charlotte are creating opportunities for students to contribute to technologies that address evolving defense priorities while strengthening the state's highly skilled defense workforce.

This partnership reflects the mission of NDI3: connecting North Carolina's research enterprise with the defense industrial base to accelerate innovation and prepare the next generation of engineers. By pairing our students and researchers with MSI Defense Solutions on real defense engineering challenges, we're creating opportunities for talent to transition from the classroom to mission-focused research while strengthening the state's defense innovation ecosystem."

—Dr. Mesbah Uddin, Executive Director of NDI3 and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

"Our partnership with UNC Charlotte is about more than a single research effort," added Trinh. "It's about building lasting relationships that encourage innovation, develop highly skilled talent, and keep North Carolina at the forefront of defense technology."

The initiative is one of several strategic collaborations MSI is pursuing with universities, research institutions, and industry partners to strengthen the defense industrial base through innovation, workforce development, and applied research.

About MSI Defense Solutions

MSI Defense Solutions is a U.S. defense integrator headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, specializing in systems and weapons integration, counter-UAS, expeditionary and modular air defense, tactical ground and mobility platforms, maritime weapons integration, and autonomy integration. At the core of MSI's approach is EAGLS, a modular, vehicle-agnostic weapons-integration architecture that lets the right sensors and effectors come together on the right platform at commercial speed. MSI designs, integrates, tests, and manufactures mobile, modular systems for U.S. and allied forces, and its maritime work brings weapons, electronics, structural modification, and C2 integration to legacy and transferred naval platforms under DoD and FMS programs. The company competes on integration depth, adaptability, and speed to capability, working across the defense industrial base to field capability faster than the threat evolves.

About the University of North Carolina at Charlotte

More than 32,000 students choose to call North Carolina’s urban research university home. As Charlotte’s only R1 institution, UNC Charlotte drives innovation and discovery in one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. The University has an award-winning focus on student success, internationally recognized research and creative activity, and a deep commitment to community engagement and cultural vibrancy that makes it one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 75 Public Universities. The Difference is Charlotte.