N.C. State began operations in Kannapolis in 2007 as the Fruit and Vegetable Science Institute. The university was one of the first organizations to join the fledgling biotech hub that would become the N.C. Research Campus. The university's program was renamed the Plants for Human Health Institute when the N.C. Research Campus was officially dedicated on October 20, 2008, in order "to more accurately reflect the groundbreaking research approach the institute will take. Institute research will focus on identifying and making available to consumers bioactive compounds in plants that prevent and treat disease."