The two events foster a spirit of collaboration within the Modeling, Simulation and Training industry.
The Florida Simulation Summit, hosted by Orange County Government in partnership with the National Center for Simulation and the Orlando Economic Partnership (the Partnership) will be held Thursday, September 26, at the Orange County Convention Center.
XReality, the theme of the 2019 summit, encompasses a combination of augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies to create environments for training, testing and entertainment. Immediately following the summit, the annual TechMatch event will provide a platform for companies to efficiently evaluate opportunities for contracts with local small businesses within the region.
“My vision is for Orange County to become the center of innovation for the universe,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings. “Our desire is to be recognized internationally as a place to develop, demonstrate, deploy and commercialize emerging technology.”
The summit highlights the strong progress, synergy and development of the Orlando region’s multibillion-dollar Modeling, Simulation and Training (MS&T) industry, which has strong roots in the defense, life sciences, healthcare, sports, gaming and engineering sectors. On an annual basis, $6 billion in modeling, training and simulation contracts flow through the region – many commissioned for the Army, Air Force and Navy simulation command centers, which are stationed in Orlando.
The regional workforce is also highly specialized in the field with Orlando universities offering degree programs and certifications including the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Institute for Simulation and Training, Full Sail University’s Bachelor’s Degree in Simulation & Visualization and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s Simulation Science, Games and Animation program.
The ease of collaboration between businesses, researchers and the military is one of the major reasons the region is recognized as an epicenter for the MS&T industry. The National Center for Simulation (NCS), a not-for-profit trade association with government, academic and industry members operating as an open consortium, committed to promoting modeling and simulation technology expansion, supporting education and workforce development and providing business development support to its members.
“The National Center for Simulation was created to support the military’s modeling, simulation and training industry and set the stage for technology transfer to other sectors,” said NCS President and CEO George Cheros. “For more than 25 years, NCS has worked to solidify partnerships between the military, academia, and industry.”
Diversification and expansion to other vertical markets such as medical, entertainment, manufacturing and artificial intelligence is a high priority and this Florida Simulation Summit provides a great platform to showcase these exciting advances.”
George Cheros, President, National Center for Simulation
Featured panelists and keynotes will present emerging trends across industries and applications for the future and include Dan Ayoub, general manager of Microsoft Education and Teresa Speck, training and readiness accelerator director (TReX) at the National Security Technology Accelerator.
Now in its fourth year and strategically aligned with the summit, Florida TechMatch will feature rising technology companies from the Orlando region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem alongside established enterprises interested in partnering talented, local firms to foster innovation.
“Public-private partnerships within the region’s cluster of technology-focused industries are a main driver of Orlando’s economic growth,” said Partnership President and CEO Tim Giuliani. “Opportunities like TechMatch and organizations like the National Center for Simulation help foster our unique culture of collaboration, allowing simulation innovation to transcend the defense cluster into our entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
For more information on the 2019 Florida Simulation Summit and Florida TechMatch, please email EconomicDevelopment@ocfl.net or call (407) 836-7370.
About Orange County Government
Orange County Government strives to serve its residents and guests with integrity, honesty, fairness and professionalism. Located in Central Florida, Orange County includes 13 municipalities and is home to world-famous theme parks, the nation’s second-largest convention center, and a thriving life-science research park. Seven elected members make up the Board of County Commissioners including the Mayor who is elected countywide. For more information, visit www.ocfl.net or go to the Orange County Facebook and Twitter pages.
About National Center for Simulation
National Center for Simulation is a non-profit trade association whose vision is to lead the growth of modeling, simulation and training. NCS is committed to promoting M&S technology expansion, supporting education and workforce development, and providing business development support to its members. www.simulationinformation.com
