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Climate and Sustainability Academy

NC State PACKlab

Using our expansive campus as an innovation ecosystem for real-world impact.

Problems Solved Here

Tomorrow’s challenges aren’t solved with yesterday’s solutions. Climate and other global sustainability challenges require bold new thought, which can be launched and tested on NC State’s growing campus.

NC State PACKlab (Place-based Applied Collaborative Knowledge Lab) is a framework for campus-based exploration of solutions that can drive meaningful change for people, places and the planet. The PACKlab program is facilitated through the Climate and Sustainability Academy, the University Sustainability Office and an advisory group that intentionally bridges academics and operations.

Campus As A City

By population, NC State is equivalent to the 23rd largest city in North Carolina, serving as a living lab for urban futures.

The NC State physical campus and operational context provide a rich backdrop for studying complex problems, testing cutting-edge ideas and deploying real-world solutions. The goal is to pilot and amplify scalable solutions that positively impact campus and beyond.

Explore With Us

PACKlab is a convergence of interdisciplinary research, teaching, engagement and campus operations. The program seeks to elevate and amplify your idea, helping connect you with potential collaborators. PACKlab is open to students, staff members, faculty, and off-campus potential partners and can help you:

  • Build connections between operations and academics
  • Identify potential partners, collaborators or resources
  • Navigate campus requirements and processes
  • Create applied learning opportunities for students
  • Amplify impact and outcomes

Have a Project?

Let us know how we can be a resource and help elevate your impact.

Let’s Connect

what makes a packlab project?

Place-Based

PACKlab projects integrate the physical campus or its operations, accelerating the university’s sustainability goals and value. 

collaboration

Collaborative

PACKlab projects involve interdisciplinary collaborations that could include campus, industry, government and local partners.

rocky branch

Impactful

PACKlab projects result in outcomes that advance understanding of a real-world sustainability issue or solve a specific problem.

NC State As A Living Lab

PACKlab projects take many different forms, including:

  • Teaching: Applied sustainability projects can begin in the classroom through a variety of courses, including capstone and senior design courses.
  • Research: The complexity of campus offers many opportunities for the creation and application of knowledge.
  • Engagement: Public and private partnership opportunities abound, using campus as the backdrop for exploration.

Telling the story of these project is critical. The PACKlab Project Archive is a repository of what is being learned on campus.

Browse Projects

What’s being explore on campus.

Project Archive