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Fayetteville State outlines NC Innovation hub work, council directs city attorney to draft MOU on Catalyst Site 1
Summary
Fayetteville State University briefed the City Council on its new NC Innovation hub work and proposed land transfers; council voted unanimously to accept the report and directed the city attorney to draft a memorandum of understanding for Catalyst Site 1 and return to council for consideration.
Fayetteville State University officials updated the Fayetteville City Council on the university’s designation as an NC Innovation hub and discussed plans tied to Catalyst Site 1, and the council voted unanimously to ask the city attorney to draft a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the site.
Chancellor Allison told the council that the State of North Carolina created the NC Innovation program with a $500 million appropriation to accelerate commercialization of university research statewide and that Fayetteville State is now one of the program’s designated regional hubs. Dr. Lisonbee Beatty, the hub director at Fayetteville State, described the hub’s mission as moving research “from the laboratory into a business,” offering “custom advice and step by step instructions” to help faculty protect intellectual property, prototype technologies and connect with industry partners.
The university also reported progress on proposed land transfers connected to Catalyst Site 1 on the southern end of Murchison Road. Chancellor Allison said the Fayetteville State Board of Trustees recently approved transfer of the Washington Drive property to the city and that the parties are discussing a transfer of the Calla site property to an FSU entity. Those moves, he said, are intended to support joint redevelopment and an innovation district that would benefit both the university and surrounding neighborhoods.
Why it matters: Councilmembers framed the presentation as a potential economic development opportunity that could attract defense-sector and technology jobs to the region. Council members pressed for clarity on next steps for the city–university partnership and how any land transfers would be implemented.
On a formal motion, Councilmember Malik Davis moved to accept the university’s report and to direct the city attorney to draft the MOU with Fayetteville State University and bring it back to council for consideration. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Green and carried unanimously by those voting. Council discussion clarifying the motion emphasized that the drafting should follow parameters previously discussed by council and that the drafted MOU would be returned to council for review before any execution.
Council members and university leaders said they expect the MOU to support collaborative work on redevelopment, workforce development and commercial partnerships tied to the hub. Chancellor Allison and Dr. Beatty said the hub will pursue both faculty-led prototypes (examples mentioned included non-toxic poultry pest control, AI-enabled remote sensors and PFAS-detecting biosensors) and outreach events to connect researchers with local businesses and military innovators.
Next steps: City staff and the university will continue legal and technical discussions; the city attorney reported meetings were scheduled to continue the drafting work. Council asked that the final MOU be presented to the full council for review before any signatures.
