Partnerships
North Carolina Sea Grant collaborates with local, state, and national partners to leverage resources and expertise, catalyze innovative projects, and develop real-world solutions for coastal North Carolina.
In addition to key collaborations with NC Space Grant and the NC Water Resources Research Institute, our past and recent partners include municipalities, businesses of all kinds, colleges and universities (and their centers and institutes), community organizations and nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations, and state and federal agencies.
Municipalities: Towns and Communities, Cities, and Counties
Towns and Communities
- Atlantic Beach
- Aurora
- Beaufort
- Belhaven
- Burgaw
- Cape Carteret
- Carolina Beach
- Cary
- Caswell Beach
- Duck
- Edenton
- Emerald Isle
- Harker’s Island
- Hertford
- Holden Beach
- Kill Devil Hills
- Kitty Hawk
- Leland
- Nags Head
- Navassa
- Oak Island
- Ocean Isle
- Oriental
- Pine Knoll Shores
- Plymouth
- Sea Level
- Siler City
- Smithfield
- St. James
- Sunset Beach
- Surf City
- Swansboro
- Tarboro
- Vandemere
- Wake Forest
- Walnut Cove
- Windsor
- Wrightsville Beach
Cities
- Elizabeth City
- Goldsboro
- Greenville
- Hendersonville
- High Point
- Jacksonville
- Kinston
- Lumberton
- New Bern
- Raleigh
- Washington
- Wilmington
Counties
Seafood, Fishing, Aquaculture, and Other Businesses
- Blackbeard’s Grill & Steam Bar
- Blue Oasis Aquaculture and Aquaponics
- Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar
- Brunswick Catch
- Cape Hatteras Oyster Co.
- Carolina Beach Oyster Co.
- Carolina Mariculture
- Catch Wilmington
- Chadwick Creek Oysters
- Coastal Roots Landscaping & Design
- Crystal Coast Ecotours
- Crystal Coast Oysters
- Devil Shoal Oysters and Clams
- Down East Mariculture
- Earp’s Seafood Market
- The Flying Melon Café
- Fresh Catch Seafood
- The Froggy Dog Restaurant & Pub
- Full Circle Crab Company
- Ghost Fleet Oyster Co.
- Good Time Charlie’s Charters
- Hold Fast Oyster Co.
- Hoop Pole Creek Oyster Company
- Hooper Family Seafood
- Howard’s Pub & Raw Bar
- I&M Oyster Company
- Jeffrey’s Seafood
- Jennette’s Pier
- Locals Seafood
- Mattamuskeet Seafood
- Mera Brothers Oysters
- Middle Creek Farms
- Middle Sound Mariculture
- Morris Family Shellfish Farms
- N. Sea Oyster Co.
- North Carolina Farm Bureau
- Ocracoke Mariculture
- Ocracoke Seafood Company
- Oysters Carolina
- Parley’s Sip & Steam
- PinPoint Restaurant
- Plum Pointe Kitchen
- Restoration Systems
- Roysters NC
- Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill
- Saltbox Seafood Joint
- Sandbar Oyster Company
- Savage Inlet Oysters
- Sea Level NC
- Seabird Restaurant
- SeaCow Mobile Market
- Seaview Crab Company
- Seavisions Charters
- Shogun Japanese Restaurant
- Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar
- Slash Creek Oyster Company
- Soundside Oyster Farms
- St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar
- Sticky Bottom Oyster Co.
- Szechaun 132
- Thomas Tackle & Seafood
- Three Little Spats Oyster Co.
- Tidewater Oyster Bar
- Tunnell Farmhouse
- Wanchese Fish Company
- Wrightsville Beach Brewery
Colleges and Universities and their Affiliated Centers and Institutes
North Carolina Sea Grant seeks proposals from all 16 campuses in the University of North Carolina System as well as private universities and colleges. We work with researchers at all levels and draw upon expertise across the state. An asterisk denotes a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) or Minority-Serving Institution (MSI).
University Partners
- Appalachian State University
- Chowan University*
- Duke University
- East Carolina University
- Elizabeth City State University*
- Elon University
- North Carolina A&T State University*
- North Carolina Central University*
- North Carolina State University
- University of North Carolina Asheville
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- Wake Forest University
- Western Carolina University
Community Colleges
- Beaufort County Community College
- Brunswick Community College
- Carteret Community College
- College of the Albemarle
- Fayetteville Technical Community College
- Nash Community College
- Vance-Granville Community College
- Wake Technical Community College
- Wesleyan Community College
Centers and Institutes
- Beaufort County Community College Small Business Center
- Center for Environmental Farming Systems
- Duke Superfund Research Center
- Duke University Marine Lab
- ECU Center for Natural Hazards Research
- ECU Center for Sustainable Energy & Environmental Engineering
- ECU Coastal Studies Institute
- The Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science
- NC Clean Energy Technology Center
- NC State Aquaculture Extension
- NC State Center for Human Health and the Environment
- NC State Center for Marine Studies and Technology (CMAST)
- NC State Tidewater Research Station
- NC Water Resources Research Institute
- Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability
- North Carolina Collaboratory
- North Carolina Space Grant
- North Carolina State Climate Office
- PBS North Carolina
- Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center
- UNC-CH Center for the Study of the American South
- UNC-CH Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence
- UNC-CH Environmental Finance Center
- UNC-CH Institute of the Environment
- UNC-CH Institute of Marine Sciences
- UNCA National Environmental Modeling & Analysis Center
- UNCW Center for Marine Science
- UNCW Centro Hispano
- University of North Carolina Press
Nonprofit Organizations and Community Groups
- Albemarle Resource Conservation and Development Council
- American Fisheries Society – Tidewater Chapter
- Audubon North Carolina
- Bald Head Island Conservancy
- Black Creek Watershed Association
- Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain
- Charlotte Museum of History
- Chowan Edenton Environmental Group
- Coastal Carolina Riverwatch
- Core Sound Seafood – Community Supported Fishery
- Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center
- DHIC
- Down East Community News
- Graveyard of the Atlantic
- Habitat for Humanity of Craven County, NC
- Hatteras Island Ocean Center
- Heal Our Waterways
- Keep Onslow Beautiful
- NC Catch
- NC Coastal Land Trust
- NC Foundation for Soil & Water Conservation
- NC Maritime Museums
- NC Oyster Trail
- NCEast Alliance
- New Hanover Disaster Coalition
- North Caroline Aquariums
- North Carolina Botanical Garden
- North Carolina Coastal Federation
- North Carolina Community Foundation
- North Carolina Estuarium
- North Carolina Fisheries Association
- North Carolina Friends of State Parks
- North Carolina Marine & Estuary Foundation
- North Carolina Native Plant Society – SE Coastal Chapter
- North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association
- North Carolina Seafood Festival
- North Carolina Shellfish Growers Association
- North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association
- Outer Banks Community Foundation
- Outer Banks Seafood Festival
- Partners for Environmental Justice
- Plastic Ocean Project
- Roanoke River Partners
- Saltwater Connections
- Somerset Place State Historic Site
- Sound Rivers
- Support the Port
- Urban Community AgriNomics
- WakeUP Wake County
- Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
North Carolina State Government Departments
North Carolina Sea Grant staff and researchers interact with state of North Carolina officials on a variety of issues, from responding to research requests from the N.C. General Assembly to assisting programs focusing on community enhancements, marketing and cultural history.
Our strongest partnerships are within the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. With NC DEQ, we work with managers and commissions focusing on fisheries, storm water, and coastal resources. With NC DNCR, we work on environmental education programs for all ages as well as specific programs like the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program.
- N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
- N.C. Department of Commerce
- N.C. Department of Environmental Quality
- N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
- N.C. Department of Insurance
- N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
- N.C. Department of Public Instruction
- N.C. Department of Public Safety
- N.C. Department of Transportation
- N.C. General Assembly
- N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs
- N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program
- North Carolina Association of Floodplain Managers
- North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve
- North Carolina Community College System
- North Carolina Emergency Management
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
- State of North Carolina
- University of North Carolina System
NOAA and Other Federal Agencies
With our federal funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program, North Carolina Sea Grant has strong collaborations with NOAA partners across the state, region, and nation.
NOAA Offices and Programs
- National Centers for Environmental Information
- National Estuarine Research Reserves
- National Sea Grant College Program
- National Sea Grant Law Center
- National Ocean Service
- National Weather Service
- NCCOS Beaufort Laboratory
- NOAA Fisheries
- NOAA in North Carolina
- NOAA Marine Debris Program
- NOAA National Office
- NOAA Office for Coastal Management
Federal Agencies and Departments
- Edenton National Fish Hatchery
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Park Service, including Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Hatteras National Seashore
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Commerce
- U.S. Department of Defense (including major military installations in NC)
- U.S. Department of Education
- U.S. Department of Energy
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Department of the Treasury
- U.S. Department of Transportation
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- U. S. Geological Survey
- U.S. Small Business Administration