First Projects for Eastman Funding Selected

The partnership between NC State and the Eastman Chemical Company is already enhancing opportunities for faculty across campus. The company selected 11 proposals for the first round of funding as part of a six-year, $10 million agreement to conduct joint cutting-edge research and design projects with NC State.

The projects were selected by a joint Eastman-NC State steering team, which reviewed 50 proposals submitted by NC State faculty.

“We are extremely pleased with the quality of proposals and engagement of both NC State faculty and Eastman team members in the overall process, “ said Stewart Witzeman, director of the Eastman Innovation Center, which is slated to  open an Eastman lab on Centennial Campus early this year.

The principal and co-principal investigators on the 11 projects selected for funding are based in several departments, including five in forest biomaterials; nine in chemical and biomolecular engineering; two in chemistry, one in the Nonwovens Institute; five in textile engineering, chemistry and science; and one in materials science.

Witzeman expects a second round of proposals to be solicited and awarded this spring.

Eastman is a global specialty chemicals company that produces  a broad range of advanced materials, additives and functional products, specialty chemicals and fibers. The company is based in Kingsport, Tenn., with a global workforce of more than 13,000.