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BTEC to participate in $30 million Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State
Published May 31, 2024
At BTEC on May 31, Chancellor Randy Woodson announced the creation of the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein at NC State, which will be funded by a $30 million, five-year award from the Bezos Earth Fund. The award is part of the Earth Fund’s $100 million commitment to establish a network of open-access research and development centers focused on sustainable protein alternatives.
The Earth Fund investment at NC State will create a biomanufacturing hub for dietary proteins that are environmentally friendly, healthy, tasty and affordable. The award will support research on three types of sustainable proteins: plant-based products; precision fermentation to produce proteins and nutrients that can be used in food formulations; and cultivated meat grown from animal cells.
The new center will be led by Rohan Shirwaiker, James T. Ryan Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State, and Bill Aimutis, executive director of the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab. BTEC’s Jennifer Pancorbo, director of Industry Programs and Research, and Kurt Selle, assistant director, Fermentation and Cell Line Development, will provide their expertise to the new center’s research and workforce development efforts.
A variety of industry partners will participate in the grant project, along with Duke University, Forsyth Technical Community College, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NC A&T), and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNC-P).
