A research park facility, it has been successful because it grew out of a land grant tradition. A 1,000-acre gift made it possible to build the infrastructure. Located less than a half-mile from the main campus in Raleigh, it is easy for faculty and students to go back and forth between the university and the Centennial Campus. The Centennial Campus is unique because, while it was built primarily by business, it is not a real estate development. Instead, it's inherently a partnership between academe and industry.
Companies are able to locate under a strong, shared relationship with the university.
The enterprise must be related to university programs, to technology transfer and to economic development. Its strength is related to areas identified by the faculty. All ten colleges at North Carolina State are represented. At the Centennial Campus, in terms of transformational leadership, the university looks to the future and each day makes it more and more exciting. One challenge is monitoring the integrity of student research.