N.C. Research Campus at Kannapolis receives grant

North Carolina’s innovative research campus is back on its feet after months of hiring freezes and budget cuts.

The N.C. Research Campus at Kannapolis, a collaboration of private companies and eight N.C. universities to investigate human health and nutrition, has restarted its development after receiving an unexpected grant from the N.C. General Assembly in December.

“A year ago at this time, the financial world was collapsing. And in late spring, the governor froze all spending, and that froze us in place,” said Steven Zeisel, director of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Nutrition Research Institute on campus.

“In December that lifted — the budget came through, and now everybody’s feeling optimistic.”

Dole Foods Inc. Chairman David Murdock founded the 250-acre nutrition research campus as a partnership between universities and private companies.

Murdock himself has contributed $1.5 billion to the campus, and the state of North Carolina is expected to contribute $22.5 million to it every year.

UNC-CH’s Nutrition Research Institute had its budget cut by $1.1 million last fall, forcing two layoffs.

N.C. State’s Plants for Human Health Institute on the campus was similarly hurt by the budget freeze. Construction on its permanent lab facility was delayed, and its budget fell even farther behind.

But both campuses saw a change of fortunes in December when they, along with UNC-Charlotte, received the bulk of the $3 million the state legislature allocated to the campus for this fiscal year.

“The legislature, in a down economy, recognized how important the campus was,” said Steven Leath, vice president for research for the UNC system.

“If we can make a difference in solving problems related to health and nutrition, it’s a huge economic benefit to the state.”

Most of the allocation will go toward hiring new faculty and researchers — as many as 100 by the end of the year, Leath said. At full operation, the campus will require about 300 employees.

Completing the campus and bringing it to full operation will cost another $7 million next year.

 “That is probably not going to happen,” Leath said.

The allocation has also attracted new private partners to the campus. The holes left by PepsiCo and Wilmington-based research organization PPD, both of which withdrew from the campus last year, have been filled by Dole Foods and Monsanto Co., an agricultural company.

“When people see you’re making progress with not much, they’ll make the commitment,” said Mary Ann Lila, director of N.C. State’s Plants for Human Health Institute.

“We’ve held our ground, and now we’re starting to be successful.”


Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.