Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability
Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability
Driving solutions in food, water, energy and climate to build resilient communities.
Research with Impact
The Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability, or NICCS, brings together more than 100 NIU faculty to tackle urgent challenges like water scarcity, sustainable food systems and environmental resilience. By uniting science, policy and community partnerships, the center delivers practical solutions that protect ecosystems and strengthen communities locally and globally.
A Sustainable Home for Innovation
NIU is developing a new, state-of-the-art NICCS facility to amplify this work. Designed with geothermal, solar and stormwater infrastructure, the building will feature advanced labs, flexible classrooms and unique spaces like a food systems test kitchen and data visualization center—creating an immersive hub for transformative research and public engagement.