The North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) is a public-private research center in

Kannapolis Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. Th ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The Campus was envisioned by

David H. Murdock David Howard Murdock (born April 11, 1923) is an American billionaire businessman, plant-based diet advocate and philanthropist. Early career Murdock was born on April 11, 1923, in Kansas City, Missouri. His father was a traveling salesman; his ...

, owner of

Dole Food Company Dole plc (previously named Dole Food Company, Standard Fruit Company) is an Irish agricultural multinational corporation headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. The company is among the world's largest producers of fruit and vegetables, operating wit ...

and Castle and Cooke, Inc., as a center for improving human health through research into nutrition and agriculture. The campus was formed and operates as a partnership with the State of

and the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC S ...

system. The scientists at the NC Research Campus are known for research that explores the health benefits of plant

phytochemical Phytochemicals are chemical compounds produced by plants, generally to help them resist fungi, bacteria and plant virus infections, and also consumption by insects and other animals. The name comes . Some phytochemicals have been used as poison ...

s, nutrients such as

choline Choline is an essential nutrient for humans and many other animals. Choline occurs as a cation that forms various salts (X− in the depicted formula is an undefined counteranion). Humans are capable of some ''de novo synthesis'' of choline but r ...

and the impact of nutrition and exercise on human performance. Research also involves the study of nutrients and plant-based compounds to prevent

chronic diseases A chronic condition is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three mon ...

such as cancer and diabetes.

About

The North Carolina Research Campus is located in Kannapolis, NC, near Charlotte. As a scientific community of eight universities, the David H. Murdock Research Institute, global companies and entrepreneurs, the shared mission is to improve human health through nutrition. Research and development focuses on safer, more nutritious crops, healthier foods and precision nutrition.

History

* 1982

, chairman and owner of

bought the

textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

then known as

Cannon Mills The Cannon Mills Company was an American textile manufacturing company based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, that mainly produced towels and bed sheets. Founded in 1887 by James William Cannon, by 1914 the company was the largest towel and sheet ...

, the largest manufacturer of home textiles in the world. * 1986 Murdock's firm Pacific Holding Company sells the mill. Murdock retains substantial property holdings in Kannapolis. The mill later became known as Fieldcrest Cannon and later Pillowtex. * 2003

Pillowtex Corporation Pillowtex Corporation was a United States textile manufacturing company from 1954 to 2003. Beginning as a pillow manufacturer, the company diversified and manufactured bedsheets under various brand names. The company was officially declared ba ...

files for bankruptcy in 2003, and the mill closes. This results in the largest mass layoff of workers in North Carolina history. * 2005 Along with support from the state of North Carolina and the University of North Carolina system, Murdock announces the establishment of the North Carolina Research Campus. * 2006 Murdock acquires the Pillowtex site and demolishes the mill. Construction starts quickly on the North Carolina Research Campus after the six-million-square-foot

is demolished. * 2008 The first building, the 311,000 square-foot David H. Murdock Research Core Laboratory, opens along with the

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The univers ...

Plants for Human Health Institute building and the

UNC Chapel Hill UNC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to: Education * University of Northern California (disambiguation), which may refer to: ** University of Northern California (Santa Rosa), in Petaluma, California, United States ** University of Nor ...

Nutrition Research Institute building. * 2012 The headquarters of the Cabarrus Health Alliance, the regional public health authority, opens. * 2013 A 60,000 square foot Class A medical office building opens with Carolinas Healthcare System as the main tenant. * 2015 In November, Mark Spitzer is chosen by Murdock to be the new Vice President of Operations for Castle & Cooke North Carolina. In December, Kannapolis dedicates the City Hall & Police Headquarters, a 100,000 square-foot facility standing opposite the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory, on land donated by Murdock. * 2016 BioArmor, a company that employs nanotechnology to produce hand sanitizers that do not use alcohol leases space in the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory. Discovery MS, a non-profit research initiative housed in the David H. Murdock Research Institute, launches with an announcement of several ongoing multiple sclerosis research projects. Ei, A Pharmaceutical Solutionworks™ begins moving a 24-person research and development team, known as Endev Laboratories, into a 10,000-square-foot laboratory with office space on the third floor of the building. * 2017 Ideal Health Biotechnology opens its first office at the North Carolina Research Campus. R&S Chemicals and Klear Optix join the North Carolina Research Campus. Catawba College joins in partnership with the North Carolina Research Campus to assist with marketing and business development projects. The Standard Process Center for Excellence is announced and will open in 2019 on the first floor of the laboratory building. The North Carolina Food Processing & Innovation Center, a partnership with the NC State and the NC Department of Agriculture, is announced as another tenant in the building.

References

External links

*
Guide to the North Carolina Research Campus Papers 2006-2020
{{University of North Carolina 2005 establishments in North Carolina Kannapolis, North Carolina High-technology business districts in the United States Economy of North Carolina Charlotte metropolitan area Science parks in the United States Companies based in Charlotte, North Carolina Duke University North Carolina State University Buildings and structures in Cabarrus County, North Carolina sk:North Carolina State University Centennial Campus