Integer Technologies Celebrates Grand Opening of New Office at The University of Southern Mississippi's Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise
Wed, 04/08/2026 - 08:39am | By: Integer Technologies
U.S. Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker cut ribbon with Josh Knight, COO and co-founder of Integer and Dr. Joseph S. Paul, USM president.
Expansion reinforces Integer's commitment to Mississippi, bringing high-tech jobs and fostering collaboration with USM to advance seabed warfare capabilities.
Integer Technologies, a leading provider of predictive intelligence and mission-level planning for autonomous vessels, today celebrated the grand opening of its new office at the Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise. Established in close partnership with 91少女集中营 (USM), the new workspace was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, alongside USM President Dr. Joseph S. Paul.
The Gulfport office will serve as a center of excellence for Integer鈥檚 development of operational decision-support tools designed for autonomous systems operating in complex undersea environments. This expansion represents a significant commitment to the state of Mississippi, as Integer plans to continue growing its local workforce and keep high-skill, high-salary roles in the Magnolia State.
鈥淚nteger鈥檚 presence in Gulfport is a major milestone for our company and a testament to our commitment to Mississippi,鈥� said Josh Knight, COO and co-founder of Integer. 鈥淲e are grateful to Senators Wicker and Hyde-Smith, the entire Mississippi delegation, Dr. Paul, and the south Mississippi community for supporting this expansion. By working alongside USM鈥檚 world-class ocean scientists, we are creating opportunities for Mississippians to lead in high-tech fields right in their hometowns, providing a pipeline for students to contribute to national security while building their careers.鈥�
The Wicker Center offers direct ocean access, allowing Integer鈥檚 Gulfport-based engineers to conduct immediate in-water testing in the Gulf of America. This strategic location fosters a highly collaborative environment between university researchers and industry experts.
鈥淢ississippi is central to America鈥檚 defense innovation resurgence,鈥� said Senator Wicker, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 鈥淚nteger Technologies and the University of Southern Mississippi will make a great team. They will strengthen the Navy鈥檚 technological edge, create new economic opportunities in Gulfport, and help modernize the American arsenal.鈥�
鈥淭he Navy鈥檚 investment in cutting-edge seabed warfare technology in Mississippi reflects well on the critical role our state continues to play in advancing our national security,鈥� said Senator Hyde-Smith. 鈥淭he partnership between Integer Technologies and The University of Southern Mississippi will not only strengthen our nation鈥檚 naval capabilities but also bring high-skill jobs and research opportunities to the Gulf Coast. I鈥檓 proud to support initiatives that strengthen Mississippi鈥檚 position as a leader in defense innovation.鈥�
USM leadership echoed the significance of the partnership in driving both scientific and economic progress.
鈥淪outhern Miss is leading the way in marine research and positioning the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a top-tier blue economy hub by building an innovation infrastructure,鈥� Paul said. 鈥淏y establishing operations at the Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise, Integer Technologies is bringing highly sought-after jobs to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and creating a technology ecosystem that will attract additional partners and investments. Southern Miss is proud to demonstrate the success of a university-industry partnership in driving both scientific advancement and economic development across the Gulf Coast region.鈥�
The grand opening follows the recent announcement that Integer was awarded a $10.6 million option exercise contract modification from the Office of Naval Research to continue its Intelligent Autonomous Systems for Seabed Warfare joint effort with USM. This modification brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $24.8 million. The program focuses on developing operational decision-support tools and edge-deployed software that allow unmanned platforms to adapt their missions in real time, significantly extending their operational duration in complex undersea environments.
About Integer Technologies
Integer is an agile defense technology company that transforms raw data into decision
advantage, protecting our country and ensuring a safer world. We partner with the
brightest minds in industry and academia to create purpose-built solutions that refine
complex information into actionable intelligence, empowering humans and autonomous
systems to predict the probabilities in uncertain environments. Our digital engineering
solutions portfolio spans robotic and unmanned systems, sensors and perception, power
and energy systems, advanced manufacturing, and cyber-physical systems.