The Nonwovens Institute at North Carolina State University’s College of Textiles plans to establish a new research center focusing on the multibillion-dollar filtration and membranes industry. Through partnership with the universities of Akron and Colorado, the Membranes & Filtration Applied Science and Technology Center (MemFAST) will be an industry-university cooperative research center sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Officials plan to launch the center by July 2008.
 
The new center will help bring together specific niches in the filtration and membrane market in an effort to advance technology, enhance performance and reduce costs of the devices. MemFAST will bring together researchers from three universities who will provide expertise in various aspects of membrane and filter technology. Members of the center will have access to researchers and students at multiple universities to help solve fundamental science and engineering problems in filtration and membrane applications, and to foster interactions with other companies that share a common interests in filters and membranes.