This Golden LEAF grant will provide equipment for the new NCSU Food Processing Innovation Center (FPIC) to be located on the NC Research Campus in Kannapolis. The FPIC will include a pilot plant capable of transforming agricultural raw materials into value-added products for testing and markets. Food manufacturing has the potential to contribute an additional 38,000 jobs and $10.3B to North Carolina’s income annually. The FPIC will provide the technological innovation and support required to enable entrepreneurial endeavors to transform NC’s agricultural diversity into market competitive value-added products. The FPIC is a collaboration among NCSU, NCDA-CS and the North Carolina Research Campus. It received $4.4 million in the FY2017 State budget and has commitments of $4.85 million from partners for construction, staffing and marketing. NCSU will provide annual funds for operating expenses and salaries. Golden LEAF funds will be used for pilot scale food/ingredient processing equipment.
