Higher Education: Shaping the Future of Innovation and Growth

Higher Education: North Carolina State University 

By Dr. Randy Woodson

Chancellor, North Carolina State University 

Serving our communities, state and region is inherent in NC State’s land-grant mission. Our university remains committed to driving groundbreaking discoveries, strengthening public-private partnerships and fueling a skilled workforce. As we expand our impact, we’re preparing our campus to meet the need for future growth and development.  

In the years ahead, renovations and new developments throughout campus will foster greater collaboration across disciplines and sectors — enabling new solutions to global challenges. For example, slated to open in 2026 the new Integrative Sciences Building will provide 153K SF of vital teaching, research and collaboration space, uniting chemistry and other high-growth STEM fields. At its center will be three core labs that empower NC State to create new kinds of molecules — the fundamental chemical building blocks of human bodies, medicines, fertilizers, energy systems and more — and work to develop technologies that use these molecules to fast-track new innovations. Here, our researchers will solve major societal challenges and train a new generation of interdisciplinary scientists ready for the future.  

As a leading public research university, NC State is better positioned than ever to turn ideas into solutions: In fiscal year 2024, our research expenditures totaled $633 million — the highest in university history. NC State continues to translate research into real-world products by developing a pipeline of talent that will be ready to lead the next wave of innovation in a variety of sectors.  

NC State was named the leader of the Department of Defense-funded CLAWS Hub, a regional innovation hub that is building expertise in wide bandgap semiconductors to help ensure domestic supply and strengthen national security. Working with our industry partners, national labs and world-class researchers, the university is leading the way to strengthen U.S. capabilities and scale these technologies to production.  

We’re also shaping the future of sustainable food production to help feed a growing world population. This year, NC State was awarded $30 million from the Bezos Earth Fund to lead a biomanufacturing center of excellence for sustainable protein. The Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State engages partners from academia and industry to research and commercialize new technologies, while providing workforce training for this emerging industry.  

To help meet N.C.’s needs for job-ready graduates, the expansion of NC State’s College of Engineering is well underway. Made possible by support from the North Carolina General Assembly, the “Engineering North Carolina’s Future” initiative enables us to welcome more top students to one of the nation’s leading engineering colleges. Now in our third year of the expansion, NC State has already added nearly 2,000 engineering and computer science students, with plans to enroll an additional 2,000 students over the next few years. 

“In 2025, NC State will continue to serve as a hub for statewide economic development, helping to create new ideas, technology, companies and jobs. At the heart of this is our people — the Wolfpack — and the future looks very bright.”  - Dr. Randy Woodson, NCSU

This content first appeared in Economy & Business 2025. Click here to view the entire publication.