Centers and Institutes with Extraordinary Impact

The Centers and Institutes that ORI oversees continue to drive engagement within the institution — as well as across the state of North Carolina and beyond — through robust research, training, and service programs. A few highlights include:

• The North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies (NCICS) is a unique inter-institutional research center within the University of North Carolina system that conducts cutting-edge research, enhances the understanding of present and future environmental conditions, and actively engages with a wide variety of stakeholders. NCICS embodies the extraordinary value of partnerships between universities, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, community groups, and the federal government, as evidenced by the institute’s response to Hurricane Helene and its aftermath through emergency services contributions and extensive volunteer efforts. NCICS also hosted a hybrid Western North Carolina Wildfire Roundtable event with the goal of helping bridge communication gaps and identify data sources and tools that could help relevant stakeholders prepare for and respond to the greatly increased wildfire risk facing the region as a result of the storm. Participants included staff from NCICS; NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI); the U.S. and North Carolina Forest Service agencies; City of Asheville Fire Department; NC Emergency Management; and NC State University.
• The Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) continues to make significant contributions to improving both local and regional mobility in North Carolina and beyond through public transportation. Building on ITRE’s notable expertise in microtransit, the Mobility for Everyone, Everywhere (MEE) NC project is bringing a newer, more flexible transit model to eight communities across North Carolina via three-year pilot programs. ITRE helped with grant management, service planning, technology procurement, operating policies, and many other aspects.
• The 2024 North Carolina Coastal Conference brought together over 330 coastal enthusiasts for insightful presentations and discussions about the future of North Carolina’s coast and served as a platform to engage participants and potential collaborators dedicated to the prosperity of our state’s coastal communities, environments, and economies. The two-day conference provided a rich environment for participants to engage over a wide range of topics and issues related to coastal communities, infrastructure, management, resilience, healthy ecosystems, fisheries, technology, education, and more. This year’s conference also included the first “Shape of the Coast” forum, led by NC Sea Grant, which focused on marine policy and legal issues related to ocean and coastal resources. Shape of the Coast programming, in addition to meeting Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements, provides an accessible opportunity for legal practitioners, policymakers, students, and the general public to come together and learn.
• In September 2024, PowerAmerica received a $64M, five-year renewal award from the U.S. Department of Energy. NC State is a recognized leader in semiconductor R&D, and this award will support power electronics R&D, semiconductor manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, increase domestic manufacturing competitiveness, and help to educate the next generation of semiconductor workers and innovators. PowerAmerica has already begun to work with local partners and over 500 semiconductor and related companies across North Carolina to assess workforce education needs and to create programming to train veterans and others for these high-paying advanced manufacturing jobs.

NC State Commercialization and Innovation

NC State’s land-grant mission is expanded and advanced through ORI’s extensive engagement and innovation. The Office of Research Commercialization (ORC) led efforts for the first statewide RFP for the NC Innovation grant program, to which NC State submitted 36 applications — the most in North Carolina — and secured $1.1 million in funding for two projects. In FY25, the NC Biotechnology Center awarded NC State innovators five grants totaling $378,000, and an NC State startup received a $500,000 loan. NC State startups also secured $2.74 million from federal SBIR and STTR programs. ORC’s plant commercialization activities included executing 73 new plant licenses and 77 breeding agreements, bringing six new varieties to market as of May 2025. Overall, commercialization activity included 211 invention disclosures, 214 licenses and options executed, and 10 startup licenses, resulting in $5.7 million in royalty revenue. Examples of recent ORC product launches include:

• CodonRX, a probiotic supplement developed at NC State University after decades of research, is transforming digestive health. It effectively reduces gastrointestinal inflammation and has provided relief to over 1,000 patients since its public release last year. To further its impact, CodonRX is launching a companion mobile app for symptom tracking and personalized insights.
• Mimikai Insect Repellent is a groundbreaking DEET-free, plant-powered skincare product. It offers up to eight hours of mosquito protection and up to four hours against ticks, all while being safe for adults and children aged two and up. This product is based on IP generated from entomology professor Dr. Michael Roe’s basic research.
• Takara Bio USA has introduced the Lenti-X Transduction Sponge, an innovative product originating from Dr. Yevgeny Brudno’s lab at NC State. As the first commercial dissolvable microfluidic transduction enhancer, it significantly improves lentivirus-mediated gene delivery. This product simplifies viral transduction, achieving high efficiency across diverse cell types and supporting crucial research in gene and cell therapy.