The University of Rhode Island College of Engineering works in close collaboration with the Ocean Technology Center (OTC) to support innovation, research translation, and industry engagement in the Blue Economy. Located at the URI Narragansett Bay Campus, the OTC serves as a dynamic hub for advancing ocean and marine technologies through academic–industry partnerships.

Launched in 2024 by the URI Research Foundation, the Ocean Technology Center (OTC) converted underutilized space into a thriving ocean technology business incubator. It now hosts a growing roster of marine tech startups, including Juice Robotics and Audiance, both spun out of College of Engineering faculty research, as well as Crewless Marine and NEREID. With demand continuing to rise, the OTC is preparing to expand and is expected to welcome premier industry partner Saab and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Fall 2025.

In collaboration with the RISE-UP program (rise-upinnovation.org), OTC also provides co-working space and small-scale innovation funding through internal RISE-UP I&E vouchers. These support faculty-driven pilot projects alongside startups from the 401 Tech Bridge BlueTIDE cohort, including HAVOCAI, VATN Systems, Bluemvmt, and BlueIQ.

By combining URI Engineering expertise with direct access to startup ecosystems and industry partners, the OTC strengthens Rhode Island’s leadership in ocean innovation, workforce development, and commercialization.