Project Description
In June 2024, the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein has launched at North Carolina State University. The Bezos Earth Fund awarded NC State $30 million over five years to lead a center of excellence to create a biomanufacturing hub for dietary proteins that are environmentally friendly, healthy, tasty and affordable. Duke’s World Food Policy Center is a collaborator in the work.
NC State is working with academic partners Duke University, N.C. A&T State University, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and Forsyth Tech Community College on research, workforce development, and community engagement efforts. More than 20 industry partners are also be part of the center to facilitate technology transfer and student internships and mentorships. The center plans to engage partners from academia and industry to research, create, and commercialize new technologies, provide training for the emerging industry workforce, and gauge consumers’ protein preferences. Duke’s contribution to the report will include a landscape analysis of the alternative protein sector, policy-related research elements, and collaborative research on outreach and communications.