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November 14, 2024 | Tom Ballard

NCInnovation adds three more University of North Carolina System campuses

The System has seven of its 16 campuses that are hubs.

The University of North Carolina (UNC) System has announced that Appalachian State University, Fayetteville State University, and the University of North Carolina Wilmington will join East Carolina University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and Western Carolina University as locations for NCInnovation’s applied research support.

With the three additions, the UNC System now has nearly one-half of its 16 universities as homes to NCInnovation hubs. In 2023, the North Carolina Legislature granted a $500 million endowment to NCInnovation to help support commercializing research.

The nonprofit organization that unlocks the real-world research potential of North Carolina’s world-class public universities. The organization provides grant funding and other support to university researchers working on discoveries that have practical application and commercial promise. Earlier this year, NCInnovation approved its first slate of research grants to support projects at seven universities. NCInnovation will expand its team to support the pipeline of projects in these areas.

Regional directors at NCInnovation hubs serve researchers on their respective campuses and at nearby universities and connect NCInnovation grant recipients with industry and business services to advance their research towards commercialization. With this addition of three university hubs, and the hiring of additional staff, NCInnovation will be able to offer more time and support to UNC System researchers whose projects have market potential.

“The university-to-industry pipeline is central to innovation, here in North Carolina and the United States,” said NCInnovation Chief Executive Officer Bennet Waters. “We want faculty to build something amazing and enduring that grows in the private sector. The UNC System has been an incredible partner in this mission, and we’re excited to add NCInnovation staff to three more campuses.”



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