Chancellor Lori Mann Bruce delivers the opening presentation. Photo by Angela Foster.
The 2026 Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit came to Chattanooga on May 28-29 to discuss regional workforce development, quantum technology and economic growth.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor Lori Bruce delivered the opening presentation, welcoming attendees to the city and thanking the University’s long-term supporters.
She emphasized UTC’s role in supporting the region by producing well-prepared professionals for relevant industries.
“We believe public universities have a central role to play in preparing the workforce, advancing innovation and helping this region compete in a rapidly changing economy,” Bruce said.
“I would like to share with you a little bit about UTC. We are more than 12,000 students strong, including more than 500 doctoral students—an important milestone that reflects the strength of our teaching and our research enterprise.”
Urban infrastructure, biomedical innovation, nanoengineering, cybersecurity, machine learning and quantum technologies are key research and development areas at UTC, and Bruce noted that they are experiencing record levels of activity.
“At UTC, we know that strong, long-term partnerships are what enable us to move innovation beyond theory and into real-world application,” she said. “In quantum, for example, UTC has had a long-standing partnership with EPB here in Chattanooga.
“Through each of our own investments and our partnerships in R&D, a couple of years back, UTC became the first American university to host a permanent connection to a commercially available quantum network—featuring a node right on our campus.”
UT System President Randy Boyd added that the partnership with UTC and EPB provides an application for the research being conducted during his panel session, titled “Building Our Regional Workforce.”
“A lot of things that we do in higher education, I think in particular with quantum, are more theoretical,” Boyd said. “The partnership with EPB is applied. They’re actually learning to solve real-world problems.”
Dr. Rick Mukherjee, director of the UTC Quantum Center, spoke on a panel titled “Leveraging Tennessee’s Quantum Initiative.” He explained that industry applications are a core pillar of the Quantum Center’s mission.
“At the UTC Quantum Center, we believe in education, we believe in cutting-edge research—but the third pillar is about translating that fundamental research and going out there to solve real-world problems,” Mukherjee said.
Dr. Rick Mukherjee speaks on the “Leveraging Tennessee’s Quantum Initiative” panel.
Mukherjee said that UTC is in a “unique position” in Tennessee because of the state’s commitment to quantum development. He has met with over 20 companies, both within and outside the quantum space, to explain the impact of quantum on their respective sectors.
“We are in a very, very unique position here in Tennessee,” Mukherjee said. “We have different universities, and each university has its own strengths. There’s been research collaboration going on with these universities even before we started thinking about the Tennessee Quantum Initiative.
“The Tennessee Quantum Initiative now sets a plan and agenda in a structured way for achieving those goals.”
Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Mina Sartipi said the summit is another opportunity to build relationships and partnerships statewide.
“The Tennessee Valley Corridor conference is an important opportunity to showcase the growth of UTC’s Quantum Center and the institutional commitment behind it while also building stronger partnerships across industry, government and research organizations,” Sartipi said. “Quantum innovation depends on collaboration, especially with industry partners who help move research into real-world applications and workforce opportunities.
“We want people to see that UTC is building not only research capacity, but also a collaborative ecosystem that supports innovation and economic growth in the region.”
The Quantum Center now includes more than 25 researchers.
“It’s a proud moment for UTC and a reflection of the tremendous work Rick and the entire Quantum Center team have done to build momentum in quantum research,” Sartipi said. “Their recognition highlights not only the talent of our faculty and researchers but also UTC’s strong institutional investment in growing quantum science, infrastructure and workforce development.”
Bruce highlighted UTC’s commitment to growth in both campus size and student body as a key part of supporting Tennessee’s industries.
“UTC is a destination University for students seeking opportunity, purpose and impact, exactly what this organization represents and what students will find right here in the Tennessee Valley Corridor,” Bruce told the audience. “When we attract students to UTC, they become the talent pipeline for you—the industry sectors that make up the economic engine of the TVC.”
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