I recently had the opportunity to tour the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center located at the University of New Hampshire Durham. The visit was an eye-opening experience that underscores the important role our state’s public universities and higher education plays in partnering with the business community to develop talent, innovation, and economic growth.

The Business & Industry Association (BIA) is New Hampshire’s statewide chamber of commerce, but we’re also the state affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. BIA’s 112-year history has always been aligned with manufacturing and always will be. Our organization got its start in 1913, when a group of manufacturers concerned about current legislation and government intervention and regulation, formed the New Hampshire Manufacturers’ Association. Our efforts to support and promote our state’s manufacturers continues today and one of the top challenges facing the sector is talent and workforce.

New Hampshire, like the rest of New England, faces steep demographic challenges and a rapidly aging workforce. While our current workforce is recognized for being deeply experienced and skilled, many workers are quickly approaching retirement. 27% of our state’s workforce is over the age of 55, the highest rate of any state in the US.

As New Hampshire looks to the next decade, we must recognize and support the role of higher education in solving our workforce challenges and its role in attracting the talent our state needs to fuel our innovation economy. Advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and technology sectors have all experienced growth in New Hampshire in recent years and sustaining this trend will depend on a vibrant workforce pipeline.

The University System of New Hampshire, and all of our state’s institutions of higher education, are essential partners for the business community in attracting and developing talent, supporting entrepreneurs, and fostering research and innovation that helps our economy grow. One of the most visible examples of this commitment to business and education partnerships is the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center at UNH Durham. While it is only one initiative among many across the state, the Olson Center illustrates the kind of unique partnership that brings business and education together on campus in a joint effort to connect students to career pathways while helping businesses develop and research new products and technologies.

The Olson Center is more than a teaching lab. It is a hub for cutting-edge engineering, a launch pad for new and expanding businesses, and a resource for companies that otherwise would not have access to advanced tools and expertise. By blending education, research, and real-world applications, the center represents how higher education can fuel innovation, develop talent, and provide opportunities for economic growth in New Hampshire.

At the Olson Center, students learn advanced manufacturing technologies through a hands-on approach. At the same time, New Hampshire manufacturers gain access to expertise, shared equipment, technology, and research and development opportunities that would be difficult to replicate on their own. Whether it’s software and sensor development, reverse engineering a business problem or idea, or innovating a new product, the Olson Center serves as a hub for cutting-edge engineering and a launch pad for new and expanding businesses. This ecosystem of opportunity matters. A student turned aspiring entrepreneur with an idea has access to mentors, research support, and even potential partners or investors. An established manufacturer can tap into university resources to improve efficiency or explore new markets. Communities across the state benefit from the jobs and investment that flow from these relationships forged between business and education.

The Olson Center is exactly the kind of partnership between business and education New Hampshire needs to remain economically competitive in the future. Policymakers can play a role in helping these efforts too, particularly in the case of the University System of New Hampshire. At a time when some policymakers are questioning the benefit of the state’s support for higher education, they need to look no further than partnerships like the Olson Center and many other business and education partnerships across the state in other institutions. Stable policy and increased resources for higher education can help scale these partnerships and create new ones in response to emerging economic opportunities.

Michael Skelton is president and CEO of the Business & Industry Association. Visit BIAofNH.com.