RTP 3.0 Signals North Carolina's Continued Commitment to Innovation
By Michelle Fiscus, Senior VP & Chief Communications Officer
For nearly 70 years, Research Triangle Park has been one of North Carolina's greatest competitive advantages—a place where universities, industry and government come together to transform research into economic opportunity.
That vision took another step forward this week with the launch of RTP 3.0, the most significant modernization of Research Triangle Park since its founding in 1959.
The initiative creates a new framework that will allow the park to evolve over the next 50 years while preserving the mission that has made it one of the world's leading centers for research and innovation. Rather than replacing the traditional corporate campus model, RTP 3.0 provides organizations with greater flexibility to modernize campuses, create collaborative spaces, strengthen connections across the park and respond to the changing needs of companies and today's workforce.
Throughout the announcement, one theme emerged repeatedly: North Carolina's future depends on collaboration.
Research Triangle Foundation President and CEO Scott Levitan emphasized that while RTP must continue evolving to remain globally competitive, it cannot lose sight of what has always made the park successful.
"We are a center for innovation. We're an economic engine for North Carolina, for the Southeast, for the country, for the world... and we better not screw that up."
That message reflects the mission of the Research Triangle Foundation (RTF), the nonprofit organization that has stewarded Research Triangle Park since its founding. For more than six decades, the Foundation has brought together universities, industry and government to strengthen North Carolina's innovation economy and create long-term economic opportunity.
That shared commitment extends beyond mission statements. Headquartered at 4000 Sancar Way in Hub RTP, NCInnovation operates from the Research Triangle Foundation's innovation district—an environment intentionally designed to foster collaboration among researchers, entrepreneurs, corporations and public-sector partners. NCInnovation also collaborates with Foundation leadership on initiatives that strengthen connections among universities, industry and the broader innovation ecosystem. Together, the organizations help create opportunities for researchers, entrepreneurs, corporate partners and economic development leaders to advance North Carolina's innovation economy.
During the event, RTP Vice President of Planning and Public Policy Travis Clayton described RTP 3.0 as creating flexibility for organizations while preserving the park's original purpose of bringing universities, industry and talent together. Looking ahead, he noted that the success of RTP 3.0 will ultimately be measured not by development plans, but by its impact.
"The true measure of RTP 3.0 will not be found in a vision plan, a development code or an application form. It will be found in the discoveries made here, the companies that grow here, the partnerships that form here and the students who choose to stay here."
Those priorities closely align with NCInnovation's statewide mission. Each investment NCInnovation makes is designed to help researchers overcome one of the most challenging stages of innovation: transforming promising university discoveries into technologies that can attract private investment, launch companies and create new economic opportunities throughout the state.
The importance of university partnerships was another consistent theme throughout the program.
North Carolina State University Chancellor Kevin Howell reflected on the founding of Research Triangle Park, noting that the collaboration between NC State, Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill created one of North Carolina's greatest competitive advantages. Today, he said, that collaborative model remains one of North Carolina's greatest strengths.
He also emphasized that North Carolina's future competitiveness depends on creating opportunities that encourage graduates to build their careers here.
"The continuous success of RTP will only be measured by the ability of how we create further opportunities for those students, for those companies, to build their futures right here in North Carolina."
That vision aligns closely with NCInnovation's statewide approach.
By supporting commercialization projects at research universities across North Carolina, NCInnovation helps create new opportunities for faculty innovators, students, startup companies and industry partners. Those efforts not only strengthen individual universities but also contribute to a broader innovation ecosystem that benefits communities across the state.
Throughout the event, speakers repeatedly returned to a shared belief: North Carolina's future depends on strong partnerships between higher education, industry, economic development organizations and government.
That collaborative model has long defined Research Triangle Park, and it continues to define NCInnovation's work today.
As RTP begins its next chapter, the opportunity extends far beyond new development. RTP 3.0 is creating the framework for the next generation of innovation, while organizations like NCInnovation are helping ensure that framework is filled with groundbreaking discoveries, emerging technologies and companies built from North Carolina research.
Together, the Research Triangle Foundation and NCInnovation represent complementary investments in North Carolina's future. The Foundation continues to create and steward an environment where innovation can thrive, while NCInnovation helps move promising university discoveries toward commercialization. As RTP 3.0 moves from vision to implementation, both organizations are helping strengthen the partnerships that will shape North Carolina's next generation of innovation, economic growth and global competitiveness.