North Carolina Ecosystem Technology Project Wins $1M NSF Engines Development Award
The North Carolina Ecosystem Technology (NCET) project recently won a $1 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines Development Awards. The project aims to develop an economic engine focused on rapidly improving the quality of life in rural coastal communities using ecosystem technology (ecotech), an emerging field of applied science. The NSF Engines program is a transformational investment for the nation, ensuring the U.S. remains in the vanguard of competitiveness for decades to come.
NCET will focus on three key areas: coastal infrastructure, aquaculture, and renewable energy ancillary services. Using the coastal city of Wilmington as its hub, NCET will improve the infrastructure of the NC coastal region and solve climate-related and other societal issues that will continue to impact the region.
The NCET initiative is a much-needed one. The rural coastal communities in North Carolina often do not have access to the resources necessary for economic growth. The NSF Engines Development Award will seed the future for in-place innovation in communities to create vibrant innovation ecosystems across the nation.
Five emerging subfields of focus include engineering with nature, environmental sensing and signaling, ecosystem-inspired materials, ecosystem genetic engineering, and ecosystem service measuring and modeling. Innovative research and development in these key areas include 3D printing living shoreline implants, designing green roofs to harness energy, deployable drones that can measure storm aftermath and flood surges, using genomic tools to improve aquaculture, and developing pharmaceuticals using marine toxins and chemicals with antibacterial properties.
Key takeaways from this project are that innovation engines such as NCET have the potential to create quality jobs for people living and working in the region, seeding opportunities for innovation-driven economies more fully in eastern NC. In addition, the integration of economic, community, and ecological sustainability into the NCET initiative has the potential to turn North Carolina into a national, and eventually, global hub of ecotech innovation.
Related Facts:
– NCET consists of 11 principal investigators who are experts across disciplines from seven institutions: the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Cape Fear Community College, Carteret Community College, Duke University, East Carolina University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and RTI International.
– NCET is one of more than 40 unique teams to receive one of the first-ever NSF Engines Development Awards.
– NCET has nearly 40 supporting partners from a variety of sectors statewide.
– The NSF Engines program uniquely harnesses the nation’s science and technology research and development enterprise and regional-level resources.
In conclusion, the NCET grant is a step in the right direction towards economic growth and innovation in rural communities. The potential for this project is significant for North Carolina, and could eventually have a positive impact across the nation and globally. The NSF Engines program is a unique opportunity for regional-level resources to come together and catalyze robust partnerships to positively impact regional economies, accelerate technology development, address societal challenges, advance national competitiveness, and create local, high-wage jobs.
