RALEIGH – Under Armour, the $5 billion a year sports equipment company that makes footwear, sports and casual apparel, is going to invest some $1 million in opening a collaboration center with N.C. State at its Centennial Campus.
The focus will be on an NCSU specialty: advanced nonwovens and textiles research and development.

A student designer at NC State. (NCSU photo)

“At Under Armour, we are committed to creating performance solutions for athletes that they never knew they needed and can’t imagine living without,” said Lisa Collier, chief product officer at Under Armour, in the announcement made Thursday. “This commitment requires a laser focus on innovation. We are proud to partner with NC State, a top research university, to help us create cutting-edge fabrics that not only perform for athletes, but are also in line with our value to Act Sustainably.”
The company chose N.C. State as a “strategic partner” for a variety of reasons, from a talent pipeline for workers (some 30Wolfpack alumni already work for Under Armour, the university says)  to the university’s long-established reputation as a leader in textiles, the university noted.
The agreement is for five years and includes the innovation center where Under Armour workers and university researchers will work together.

The N.C. State Nonwovens Institute is a world leader in development of engineered fabrics.

Breakthroughs will be commercialized, the partners said.

Under Armour also will work with the Wilson College of Textitles to test fabrics.