The state of modern manufacturing is becoming highly reliant on new industry concepts such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0. The University of South Carolina’s neXt research group has created lab spaces dedicated to the development of future factories and the exploration of emerging technologies. The neXt Future Factories Lab is an integrated environment meant to leverage the resources of industry and academia for the validation of current standards, the conception of new research paths, and the training of future factory employees. Working in conjunction with industry partners, a multi-robot manufacturing platform is being built with the goal of incorporating novel new technologies such as virtual commissioning, artificial intelligence, next generation IoT, and predictive maintenance. In service of this, the Office of Economic Engagement (OEE) has created an environment for the neXt platform to begin meeting the demands of industry. The University of South Carolina created the OEE, led by Industry Expert and Entrepreneur Bill Kirkland, to create a one stop shop for corporations, government, entrepreneurs and innovators to connect to the people, assets, and intellectual property of the flagship University for the State of South Carolina. The mission of OEE is to be the partner of choice for true wealth and value creation in the areas of Health Care, Advanced Manufacturing/ Supply Chain, Cyber Security, and Aerospace.