Opening Doors for Discovery: How NCInnovation’s Pipeline Program is Shaping the Future of North Carolina
In a lab at East Carolina University (ECU), the next big idea might already be underway, a discovery with the power to change industries, attract new businesses, and transform lives in eastern North Carolina. But without early support, promising ideas too often stall before they can ever take root.
That’s why NCInnovation’s new Pipeline Development Program is so important. By offering small but strategic research grants: $10,000 to $25,000, the program gives faculty the breathing room and resources they need to turn a good idea into a game-changing one.
For Sharon Paynter, ECU’s Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer and Interim Chief Research Officer, these grants are about more than just funding. They’re about cultivating a new culture.
“Early-stage grants are a critical tool for cultivating a culture of innovation that includes commercialization from day one,” Paynter said. “Microgrants like these de-risk early ideas, provide the data to validate concepts, and give faculty the tools to begin building strategies for intellectual property, prototyping, and business models.”
She knows that moving ideas from lab bench to marketplace requires more than funding. It takes coaching, connections, and networks. “Access to mentors, business development resources, and industry connections makes a huge difference,” Paynter said. “From customer discovery to investor pitches, this program ensures faculty aren’t navigating the commercialization pathway alone.”
That sentiment is echoed nearly 100 miles away at Fayetteville State University, where Chancellor Darrell T. Allison sees the same transformative potential for his campus and community.
“The Pipeline Development Program has the potential to help us significantly expand our ability to move high-potential research from the lab to the market,” Allison said. “A key part of Fayetteville State University’s mission is to be a catalyst for growth in our economically challenged region. We have faculty members engaged in exciting, groundbreaking research with potential commercial applications that are attracting the interest of industry partners, and we appreciate this opportunity for deeper collaboration with the NCInnovation team.”
For communities like Pitt County, where ECU plays an outsized role in the economy, and Cumberland County, where Fayetteville State is a key anchor institution, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Kelly Andrews, Director of Pitt County Economic Development, sees the initiative as a powerful recruiting tool.
“This program adds another facet to Pitt County and ECU’s value proposition for existing industries and competitive advantage for potential new industries,” Andrews said. “ECU is poised to be that sought-after partner, thus enhancing our ability to attract new investments to our community.”
The impact extends well beyond dollars and deals. It touches students, too. By participating in research projects designed to meet real-world industry needs, students at ECU, FSU, and beyond are preparing for the kinds of high-tech jobs that will define the future of North Carolina. As Paynter noted, when faculty are supported in thinking about commercialization from day one, students gain the mindset and skills to innovate alongside them.
It’s a vision of a state where discoveries don’t languish in labs but move forward with mentorship, market insight, and momentum. For eastern North Carolina, and for the state as a whole, the Pipeline Program is about more than research. It’s about building a future where innovation is homegrown, opportunity is widespread, and the next breakthrough might be waiting in a lab at ECU, Fayetteville State, or any of the state’s public universities.
