The City of Salina is hosting the 2019 Unmanned Aerial System Tech Forum this week.

The conference is the largest annual event produced by the Unmanned Arial Systems Cluster Initiative of the U.S Small Business Administration to support the growth of the UAS industry within the two states. The 2019 Conference is the sixth UAS-focused conference in the region. Previous locations include Stillwater (twice),Oklahoma City, Wichita, and Broken Arrow.

The local effort was coordinated by the Salina community Economic Development Organization with planning and financial support by Kansas State Polytechnic, Kansas Department of Transportation Avation, City of Salina, Saline County, Salina Airport Authority and the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce/Visit Salina.

The 20019 Conference is taking place at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center this Wednesday and Thursday.

An estimated 175 visitors will take part in the two-day Forum.

The UAS Tech Forum is the annual anchor event for the UASCI, a collaborative funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Administered by Development Capital Networks, the Cluster Initiative’s mission is to accelerate the growth of the UAS Industry by enabling established companies and emerging entrepreneurs, in particular those located in Oklahoma and Kansas, to connect, work together and gain access to national technologies, global capital, advanced business models and global markets.