Positioning North Carolina's coast for a blue economy. Objective. Drive workforce development, innovation, job creation, and resilient ecosystems along North Carolina's coast through the blue economy - industries and businesses centered on coastal ecosystems. Approach. RTI International partnered with NC EcoTech and drafted a policy brief that highlights opportunities such as aquaculture and coastal resilience to support economic growth, reduce reliance on imported seafood, and expand local job creation. Impact. Its brief recommended four action items to help North Carolina overcome challenges to entering the blue economy: 1) develop a statewide blue economy plan; 2) invest in new technologies and research; 3) update outdated regulations; and 4) fund pilot projects to test new ideas. Current aquaculture and coastal resilience pilot projects are underway to position the state to grow the blue economy. June 19, 2026 North Carolina's 320 miles of coastline offer a rich maritime history and unique ecosystems - from expansive wetlands and barrier islands to forests and estuaries. The region has potential for economic growth and technology adoption that can keep the coastline profitable and sustainable. What is the blue economy? Many coastal states across the U.S. have sought to grow their economies and protect natural assets through the "blue economy," referring to a wide range of economic activities connected to oceans, coasts, and marine ecosystems. States such as Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Mississippi have already adopted blue economy strategies to coordinate statewide development. North Carolina's unique geographic assets, strong university research base, military presence, and innovation pipeline make the state an ideal location for growing the blue economy. In 2023, the U.S. National Science Foundation funded NC EcoTech - a multiorganization initiative based at the University of North Carolina Wilmington - to create a pipeline of nature-based solutions through statewide connections and contributions to the regional workforce. How aquaculture and coastal resilience can support North Carolina's blue economy. As a member of NC EcoTech, RTI produced an economic policy brief in 2025 that outlines how ecosystem technologies can drive economic development and protect natural resources. RTI International found that North Carolina has the essential components needed to grow a blue economy, but many of these components operate in silos, stalling growth. There are notable growth opportunities for ecosystem technologies, or "ecotech," and nature-based solutions in the aquaculture and coastal resilience sectors. Aquaculture in North Carolina. Aquaculture is used to produce fish and seafood for consumption or to replenish wild stocks; it can also be used to cultivate aquatic plants such as seaweed. Approximately 90% of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, leading to a seafood trade deficit of over $20 billion annually. Its report found that North Carolina makes up only 1.7% of the $1.9 billion U.S. aquaculture market. The state has the potential to grow the industry, stimulating the U.S. economy while reducing reliance on seafood imports. Aquaculture businesses will need to integrate advanced tools, including smart sensors and artificial intelligence (AI), to scale operations, increase sustainability, and improve cost competitiveness against imports. Coastal resilience in North Carolina. Coastal resilience refers to the ability of communities, economies, and ecosystems to prepare for hazardous events, such as hurricanes and rising sea levels, that can cause erosion. Up to 75% of North Carolina's coastline experiences erosion, and the state ranks among the top three in the U.S. for coastal infrastructure protection spending. For every $1 spent on mitigation, $13 is spent on disaster recovery and rebuilding costs nationally. Its brief found that investing in nature-based solutions, such as living shorelines, can help absorb wave impact, filter polluted water, and reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion. These solutions create jobs, stimulate the economy, and avoid costly erosion-prevention infrastructure like seawalls that negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. RTI's recommendations for North Carolina's blue economy. To overcome coastal challenges faced by North Carolina and invest in the blue economy, RTI International provided four recommendations: * Create a statewide plan for the blue economy * Invest in new technologies and research * Update outdated regulations * Fund pilot projects to test new ideas The future of aquaculture and coastal resilience in North Carolina. While North Carolina has yet to develop a statewide strategy for the blue economy, NC EcoTech is actively working to secure funding and build partnerships across the state to develop technologies and strategies that invest in aquaculture and coastal resilience, with some pilot projects underway. Currently, NC EcoTech is developing a strategy to establish engineered aquatic habitats across areas in North Carolina that are experiencing saltwater intrusion and coastal erosion. This concept includes flooding an area and creating a habitat that maximizes production of high-value aquatic species while creating a buffer against environmental threats. New technologies would be integrated in each habitat to manage multi-trophic aquaculture systems. These systems would provide protection against flooding and land loss in coastal areas while increasing seafood production. NC EcoTech is also partnering with the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Office of Science, Technology and Innovation to explore aquaculture opportunities as part of North Carolina's defense strategy. Science-based methods, such as microbial analysis and remote monitoring capabilities, can track and prevent external threats and illegal fishing, ensuring that the seafood Americans buy and consume is safe and traceable. One proposal is to create aquaculture test beds in eastern North Carolina to conduct research and implement tools such as AI to track environmental data, including nutrient cycling, water quality, and overall ecosystem health. This would increase domestic food security; reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities; and track and identify underwater security threats. As North Carolina works to advance its blue economy, the state is well positioned to develop public-private partnerships to prove business models that will attract investments - creating jobs, reducing reliance on imported seafood, and sustaining coastal ecosystems - which will allow North Carolina to become a leader in coastal innovation. RTI's research on this effort shows its commitment to boosting the state's economy through innovation so that the people, animals, and ecosystems that call North Carolina home can have a healthy, prosperous future. * U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) * NC EcoTech Its Experts Focus Areas

RTI statistician Matt Williams receives Links Lecture Award from American Statistical Association. May 28, 2026 Highlights * Williams selected for ASA Links Lecture Award, one of the association's professional honors * Recognition announced ahead of Joint Statistical Meetings this summer RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - Matt Williams, Ph.D., a senior research statistician at RTI International, has been selected to receive the American Statistical Association's Links Lecture Award, a professional honor recognizing leadership and vision in the field of statistics. "I'm honored to receive this recognition from the American Statistical Association," Williams said. "Official statistics provide critical infrastructure for a democratic society. They empower citizens and federal, state and local governments to understand economic, social and scientific change. I'm inspired by the dedication of my colleagues in the field and excited for future possibilities for the profession." Williams will be formally recognized during the American Statistical Association President's Address and Awards Ceremony at the Joint Statistical Meetings on Tuesday, Aug. 4. As part of the award, he will deliver an invited lecture in early 2027 focused on a forward-looking vision for the future of official statistics. The American Statistical Association is the nation's leading professional organization for statisticians. At RTI, Williams contributes to projects across health, education, economic and social policy research, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to strengthen the design and analysis of large-scale data systems. His work supports RTI's long-standing role in advancing statistical science in service of public-sector decision-making. Before joining RTI, Williams served as a mathematical statistician at three federal statistical agencies, including leadership roles at the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. He has also advised agencies such as the U.S. Department of State, NASA and the U.S. Forest Service on statistical methodology. Learn more about the Links Lecture Award Meet the Experts Media Info RTI International Media Relations: As an independent, scientific research institute with a mission to improve the human condition, RTI International is engaged by clients and partners to conduct evidence-based research and project implementation. RTI International share its work in line with journalistic and scientific standards and maintain a record in RTI's Newsroom.

RTI International to demonstrate CarbonBridge bioprocessing technology under new collaboration. May 20, 2026 Highlights * Collaboration focuses on proving real-world performance and reducing scale-up risk for gas fermentation systems * RTI will test CarbonBridge's modular bioreactor for converting methane into methanol at RTI's Pilot Xcelerator (RPX) RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - Independent scientific research institute RTI International and CarbonBridge Inc. are collaborating to demonstrate a new bioprocessing technology designed to convert gases into valuable chemical products, including next-generation fuels. The work will be performed at RTI's Pilot Xcelerator (RPX), an energy innovation ecosystem in Research Triangle Park. Under a newly executed memorandum of understanding, RTI will conduct a series of demonstrations of CarbonBridge's stackable bioreactor system. The work is designed to generate credible, third-party performance data, starting with methanol production from methane to support informed decisions about scale-up and commercialization. "This collaboration is a great example of how RTI helps partners move promising technologies from concept to commercialization," said RTI's Sameer Parvathikar, program director of RPX. "We're thrilled to collaborate with CarbonBridge to help support the path to commercialization for their innovative technology." As part of the collaboration, RTI will design, build, and operate automated technology validations using scalable architectures for iteration and optimization. The plan includes testing periods planned for 2027 with data generated for future deployment scenarios. "We're very excited to partner with RTI - a leading, interdisciplinary research institution," said Manu Pillai, co-founder and CEO of CarbonBridge. "As we look to scale and prove out our technology, it is extremely important to partner with the right people. Our technology is highly innovative - combining biology, material science, fluid engineering, and software architecture - to truly accomplish a bioindustrial revolution with the support of RTI and all their resources. This pilot will pave the way for scaleups at farms and wastewater plants, in addition to future demonstrations of other microbe-enabled gas-to-value pathways." CarbonBridge is an ARPA-E awardee (DE-AR0001944), developing bioprocessing technologies to convert gases such as methane and carbon dioxide into fuels and chemicals. Their approach uses microbes housed in a novel bioreactor design to produce products including methanol, acetate, and biosurfactants as fuels and intermediates. Meet the Experts Media Info RTI International Media Relations: As an independent, scientific research institute with a mission to improve the human condition, RTI International is engaged by clients and partners to conduct evidence-based research and project implementation. RTI International share its work in line with journalistic and scientific standards and maintain a record in RTI's Newsroom.