Wireless Research Center Of North Carolina

Wireless Research Center of North Carolina is a non-profit research organization headquartered in Wake Forest, North Carolina, registered as a federal contractor since August 2011. The organization specializes in wireless technologies and atmospheric sciences research, serving as a research support provider to federal agencies. The center delivers comprehensive research program support services, technology evaluation, and innovation acceleration services focused on advancing federal research initiatives across multiple technical domains including computing, biotechnologies, clean energy, and cybersecurity.

Through federal contract awards, the Wireless Research Center has primarily served the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as a research support contractor under a $25 million multiple-award Blanket Purchase Agreement spanning from August 2024 through August 2027. Under this BPA vehicle, the organization has executed numerous task orders valued between $22,200 and $262,000, all structured as firm fixed-price contracts without set-aside designations. These contracts focus on research program support services and commercial accelerators support, enabling DARPA to accelerate the development and transition of commercial technologies for defense applications. Beyond DARPA, the Wireless Research Center received a significant $1,748,590.92 definitive contract from the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Investment and Innovation in September 2024 to support the Regional Innovation Cluster Initiative, targeting advanced computing, biotechnologies, clean energy, and cybersecurity sectors. The organization has also provided non-personal services to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including humidity research support and data collection work valued at approximately $40,100 across multiple purchase orders. As a subcontractor, the Wireless Research Center provided systems support services to Applied Research Associates, Inc. in September 2025, and previously delivered radio frequency design, modeling, simulation, measurement, testing, and characterization services as a subcontractor to Spectrohm, Inc. in 2022.

Through federal grant awards, the Wireless Research Center has received project grants focused on economic development and workforce initiatives. In September 2024, the organization received a project grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to continue Phase II activities addressing digital talent diversification and closing the digital divide in underserved communities. This grant-funded project emphasizes expanding partnerships with community colleges and second-chance programs, providing enhanced consulting and digital upskilling to small businesses, launching entrepreneurial growth initiatives for startups, and developing sustainable and scalable models replicable in other regions, with intended beneficiaries including small business owners and employees, startup founders, and justice-impacted individuals. Additionally, the Wireless Research Center received a Rural Business Cooperative Opportunity Grant from the Rural Business Cooperative Services in July 2024, extending through July 2026, supporting rural business development initiatives aligned with the organization's broader mission of regional economic development.

The Wireless Research Center holds a $25 million multiple-award Blanket Purchase Agreement with DARPA, awarded on August 21, 2024, with performance extending through August 20, 2027. This IDV vehicle serves as the primary procurement instrument for DARPA to issue task orders for research program support services and commercial accelerators support. Under this BPA structure, DARPA issued approximately 13 task orders by late 2026, with individual call values ranging from $22,200 to $262,000, representing ongoing demand for the organization's specialized research support capabilities. The task orders cover work performed at multiple locations, including the contractor's primary facility in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and at Arlington, Virginia, with performance periods generally extending through mid-to-late 2026. The BPA leverages the Wireless Research Center's demonstrated expertise in wireless technology research, atmospheric monitoring, federal research program support, and innovation acceleration to contribute meaningfully to DARPA's mission of developing breakthrough technologies for national defense. All task orders under this BPA were awarded through full and open competition with no set-aside designations, reflecting the organization's competitive standing among federal research support providers.