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UNC Charlotte Poler Team Passes Industry-Standard Filtration Certifications, Allowing Commercial Production on Water Filters

Patented nanomaterial technology developed at UNC Charlotte could soon improve the quality of drinking water. 

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NCInnovation Names Michelle Bolas Acting CEO as Organization Build on Statewide Momentum

Inside a regularly scheduled board meeting today, NCInnovation (NCI) took a clear next step in its growth: Michelle Bolas, Executive...

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NCInnovation Approves $13.6 Million to Support 17 University R&D Projects

Projects range from protecting agriculture and livestock to therapeutics for severe disease Research Triangle Park, NC – NCInnovation, a non-profit organization that...

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NCInnovation Expands Presence at Appalachian State University’s Hickory Campus

App State Chancellor: “We are grateful to state lawmakers and to NCInnovation for their continued investments in applied research” Hickory,...

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State Audit: NCInnovation in Full Compliance

Audit: “NCInnovation followed what is statutorily required of it Research Triangle Park, NC – The North Carolina Office of the...

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LISTEN: NCInnovation’s Michelle Bolas Talks Advancing North Carolina’s Economy Through University Research on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast

NCInnovation is Bridging the Gap Between University Research and Economic Impact CHARLOTTE, NC – Michelle Bolas, Executive Vice President and...

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University Chancellors Express Support for NCInnovation at UNC Board of Governors Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs Meeting

“I think it’s so important we use this extraordinary resource… to make certain that our best and brightest aren’t leaving...

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WATCH: UNC Charlotte professor partners with Monroe company to get tech from his lab to our homes

NCInnovation supporting UNC Charlotte professor Dr. Jordan Poler’s research to filter forever chemicals from water CHARLOTTE, NC – Jordan Poler,...

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NCInnovation Names Hub Director for Fayetteville State University

Alison Beatty brings national security, DoD contracting experience to lead NCInnovation’s work in the Fayetteville region Fayetteville, NC – Alison...

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Q&A Series: Learn about NCInnovation-Backed Research in the Piedmont Region

Trailblazing research is underway in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina, backed by NCInnovation From groundbreaking medical advancements to next...

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NCInnovation Names Wilmington’s Hub Director

Scott Davis, an entrepreneur and double UNCW grad, to lead NCInnovation’s work in the Wilmington region Wilmington, NC – Scott...

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Q&A Series: Learn about NCInnovation-Backed Research in Western NC

Trailblazing research is underway in Western North Carolina, backed by NCInnovation NCInnovation (NCI) provides grant funding and support to university...

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A Look Back at 2024

What did we learn in 2024? UNC System researchers have the expertise, innovation, and drive to outcompete their peers –...

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NCInnovation Secures Investment Manager for Endowment

By Linda Hall, Chief Financial Officer Last week marked an exciting milestone for NCInnovation. After a diligent selection process, the...

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NCInnovation’s Research Grant Application Now Open, All UNC System Applied Researchers Eligible to Apply

NCInnovation supports university applied research that has commercial promise The university-to-industry pipeline is key to North Carolina’s (and America’s) technological...

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Q&A Series: Learn about NCInnovation-Backed Research in the Charlotte Region

Trailblazing research is underway in Charlotte, North Carolina, backed by NCInnovation NCInnovation (NCI) provides grant funding and support to university...

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NCInnovation adds three more hubs at UNC System institutions

Nonprofit expands statewide presence with new hubs at App State, Fayetteville State, and UNC Wilmington, increasing support for applied research...

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NCInnovation and NC IDEA Foundation: Partnering Up to Accelerate Innovation

NCInnovation and the NC IDEA Foundation recently announced a new partnership supporting NCI’s grants and regional innovation networks to accelerate...

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NCInnovation Adds Experienced Research Commercialization Leadership to Team

Durham, NC – NCInnovation, a non-profit organization that unlocks the innovative potential of North Carolina’s world-class public universities, today announced...

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Q&A Series: Learn about NCInnovation-Backed Research in Eastern NC

Trailblazing research is underway in eastern North Carolina, backed by NCInnovation NCInnovation (NCI) provides grant funding and support to university...

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In the News: WCU Researchers Join the Fight Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases

The research of Dr. Byrd and Dr. Huffman is backed by an NCInnovation grant Cullowhee, NC – The Smoky Mountain...

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What Is the NCInnovation Endowment, and How Does it Work?

Legislature’s smart funding model means NCInnovation can deploy university research grants without spending down state money How NCInnovation receives and...

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Second Round of State Funding Moves to NCInnovation Endowment

NCInnovation endowment now has full $500 million prescribed in 2023-25 state budget Organization uses interest and investment income from endowment...

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WATCH: UNC Charlotte Researcher Describes His Work on Power Grid Efficiency to WBTV

Dr. Kamalasadan’s research is backed by an NCInnovation grant Charlotte, NC – WBTV recently interviewed UNC Charlotte researcher Dr. Sukumar...

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What They Are Saying: UNC System Chancellors Weigh in on NCInnovation Research Funding

NCInnovation approved $5.2 million in research grants to seven universities for projects from cancer research to lithium refining to PFAS...

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NCInnovation Approves $5 Million to Support Eight University Research Projects

Milestone marks NCInnovation’s first grant approvals, just four months after receiving state funding Grants entirely funded from interest earned on...

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How Does the “Valley of Death” Impede North Carolina’s Growth?

North Carolina is home to one of the nation’s top public university systems, rightfully hailed as our “crown jewel.” Within...

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NCInnovation: Just the Facts

NCInnovation unlocks the innovative potential of North Carolina’s world-class public universities. We provide grant funding to public university applied researchers...

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NCInnovation Surpasses $25 Million in Private Fundraising Commitments

Milestone checks off another legislative requirement months ahead of schedule Durham, NC – NCInnovation, a non-profit organization that helps unlock...

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NCInnovation Bolsters its Private Funding Commitments with $500,000 Pledge from The Huntington National Bank

Durham, NC – NCInnovation, a nonprofit organization that helps turn North Carolina’s university research breakthroughs into commercially viable solutions, today...

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NCInnovation Launches Pilot Grant Program to Accelerate University Research Commercialization Across North Carolina

Durham, NC – NCInnovation, a non-profit organization that helps unlock the innovative potential of North Carolina’s world-class public universities, today...

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NCInnovation Names RTP Veteran Linda Hall as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Durham, NC – NCInnovation, a nonprofit organization that helps turn North Carolina’s university research breakthroughs into commercially viable solutions, today...

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NCInnovation Expands Senior Leadership Team with Josh Howard and Erica Shrader

NCInnovation, a non-profit organization that helps turn North Carolina’s university research breakthroughs into commercially viable solutions, today announced two additions...

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Statement on Proposed Appointees to NCInnovation’s Board of Directors

The North Carolina General Assembly yesterday released its proposed list of legislative appointees to NCInnovation's Board of Directors.

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Progress Report: NCInnovation Announces Four Regional Directors

Directors will lead NCInnovation’s regional operations, anchored by ECU, WCU, UNC Charlotte, and N.C. A&T State University...

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Statement on NCInnovation’s Inclusion in State Budget Conference Report

The state budget conference report, released today, creates a $500 million endowment for NCInnovation...

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Op-Ed: Kelly King Explains NCInnovation’s Mission and Benefits

“Better to finish the R&D sequence at the point a product can turn into a private business, and that’s what...

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How Does the University R&D Sequence Work, Anyway?

NCInnovation exists to support North Carolina university researchers through the final leg of the R&D sequence, when the academic phase...

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CNBC Features NCInnovation in “Best State for Business” Coverage

CNBC yesterday named North Carolina its Best State for Business for the second consecutive year...

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NCInnovation Will “Generate HomegrownCompanies that Will Stay in North Carolina”

Last week, legislators unveiled the most ambitious economic development initiative since Research Triangle Park. NCInnovation will support rural economic development...

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What They’re Saying About NCInnovation

“This model holds great promise to expand North Carolina’s technology commercialization and serve as a blueprint to expand American innovation”...

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Legislators Offer Historic Appropriation for State’s Innovation Future

Proposed budget allocates $1.425 billion to NCInnovation, a nonprofit created to advance and commercialize applied research at NC universities The...

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NCInnovation kicks off grant selection for high-value university research

Durham-based NCInnovation, a nonprofit directing millions in state funds toward university research with commercial potential, has launched a pilot round...

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Sustainable Fibers, Reimagined from the Molecule Up

Most people never think about where fibers come from. They don’t picture the chemistry, the heat, the solvents, or the...

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Cracking the Code of a Universal Flu Vaccine: The Breakthrough at UNCW

When Dr. Ying Wang moved his research program from MIT to UNC Wilmington in 2015, he wasn’t looking for a...

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NCInnovation-Supported Melanoma Immunotherapy

Melanoma steals more than health. It steals the ordinary moments people assumed they would have years to enjoy. When it’s...

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A New Way to Fight Mosquito-Borne Disease—Built in Western North Carolina

When a western North Carolina father rushed his young son to the emergency room for the third time in a...

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AI-Powered Microscopy Aims to Save North Carolina Farmers Millions 

Intestinal parasites quietly take a heavy toll on livestock across North Carolina and the Southeast. The losses aren’t small —...

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Modernizing Grant Management to Strengthen Innovation Across North Carolina 

For NCInnovation, driving research commercialization across North Carolina means not just funding great ideas, but tracking how those ideas grow,...

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Preventing the Next ACL Tear: How Researchers from NC A&T and UNCG Are Rethinking Knee Injury Risk

Going down with a knee injury — it’s a risk that never fully disappears, whether on the pickleball court or...

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Turning the Art of Beekeeping into a Science of Prevention

Each spring in North Carolina’s foothills, beekeepers lift the lids of their hives and listen for the familiar hum that...

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How NCInnovation Is Supporting Lifesaving Alzheimer’s Research

In a corner of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke campus, Dr. Ben Bahr leans over a microscope, studying...

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Staff Spotlight: Mary Lou Bourne

When Mary Lou Bourne first read about NCInnovation, she immediately knew she had found something special. “I saw it as...

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Dr. Patrick Briley’s Immersive Experiences Brings Confidence to Speech

For someone who doesn’t stutter, the idea of speaking up may seem simple. But for the roughly three million Americans...

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ECU Researchers Build a Low-Cost Wind Tunnel to Strengthen Mosquito Control and Protect Public Health

Each summer, mosquitoes do more than buzz and bite—they spread disease. West Nile, Eastern equine, and La Crosse encephalitis viruses...

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Staff Spotlight: Meagan Coneybeer

When Meagan Coneybeer talks about western North Carolina, her words carry both expertise and affection. As NCInnovation’s Western Regional Innovation...

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Where Innovation Takes Flight: Inside the Fayetteville Drone Challenge

Teams gathered for Day Two of the Fayetteville-Cumberland Drone Challenge at The Range Complex in Cumberland County. The air buzzed...

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Ben Teague: Planting Seeds of Innovation Across North Carolina

When Ben Teague talks about innovation, he doesn’t speak in buzzwords or balance sheets. He talks about people — families,...

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Staff Spotlight:  Louis Judge

As NCInnovation’s Regional Innovation Network Director for the Piedmont Region, Louis Judge sees every conversation, collaboration, and connection as a...

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When Science Meets Compassion: Dr. Pinku Mukherjee’s Path to Cancer Innovation

Western Carolina University’s College of When Dr. Pinku Mukherjee was a young girl growing up in Bombay, India, she watched...

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Western Carolina’s Engineering Programs Climb National Rankings, Fueled by Innovation

Western Carolina University’s College of Engineering and Technology is earning national recognition, and for good reason. The college climbed 68...

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How an NCInnovation Grant Helped Dr. Hemali Rathnayake Advance Lithium Refinement in North Carolina

A Technology Showcase Open House hosted by Minerva Lithium in partnership with UNC Greensboro (UNCG) featured live demonstrations of pilot-scale...

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The NCInnovation Grant that Strengthened UNC Charlotte’s NSF Engines Bid

When the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced UNC Charlotte (Charlotte) as a finalist in its highly competitive Regional Innovation Engines...

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Staff Spotlight: Derrick Welch

When Derrick Welch talks about eastern North Carolina, his focus is clear: opportunity. As NCInnovation’s Senior Regional Innovation Network Director...

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NCInnovation, NC IDEA, and RIoT Kick Off New Cohort with Urgent Focus on Commercialization

NCInnovation (NCI), in partnership with NC IDEA and RIoT, welcomed its newest cohort of funded research teams with a half-day...

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NCInnovation Support Helps Unlock Breakthrough Tools for Honey bee Health

Dr. Kaira Wagoner at UNC Greensboro (UNCG) and colleagues at NC State (especially Yosef Tola) discovered differences in gut microbiota...

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Building Bridges from Lab to Market: The Role of Regional Entrepreneurs-in-Residence at NCInnovation

At the heart of NCInnovation’s model to support research commercialization lies a distinctive feature: embedding Regional Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs) into our...

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Staff Spotlight: LaKeya Hardy

When Dr, LaKeya Hardy talks about innovation in North Carolina, her excitement is contagious. As NCInnovation’s Piedmont Hub Director, she...

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NCInnovation Helps UNC Asheville Push Antibiotic Research to Next Stage

At UNC Asheville, two researchers are tackling one of the world’s most urgent health threats: antibiotic resistance. Thanks to NCInnovation’s...

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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...

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NC Innovation Grant Project helps UNCC professor bring PFAS filter to public

A UNCC chemistry professor is working to solve a problem that touches everyone.

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NCInnovation selects App State as a support hub for applied research commercialization

Appalachian State University is among three University of North Carolina System institutions to become headquarter locations for NCInnovation’s applied research...

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Doing battle with the world’s deadliest animal: WCU researchers join the fight against mosquito-borne diseases

Sure, mosquitos are an important link in the food chain for amphibians, birds and other insects, but they’re annoying, they’re...

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UNC Charlotte working to improve power grid efficiency

A team at UNC Charlotte is working to optimize management of renewable energy.

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N.C. A&T Nanoengineering Professor Receives NCInnovation Grant for Drug Delivery Research

Researchers at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN), led by Kristen Dellinger, Ph.D., are making significant strides in...

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Opinion: Darden says NCInnovation can spur needed campus research

This is an opinion article by Tom Darden, founder and CEO of Raleigh-based Cherokee, which has raised more than $2.2...

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SAS, Martin Marietta, Truist, others pledge millions toward state-funded initiative

A relatively young nonprofit backed by $500 million in North Carolina state funding says it hit a critical milestone in...

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RTP ‘doing well’, but NC needs to ‘spread the wealth’ to improve state’s No. 20 innovation ranking

North Carolina ranks No. 20 in the nation on innovation, according to Dr. John Hardin, the executive director for the...

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Welch appointed director of regional innovation hub at ECU

NCInnovation (NCI) has appointed Derrick Welch as the director of its regional innovation network for the eastern part of the...

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“Must go west? NC startup founders weigh Silicon Valley vs. RTP to chase their dreams”

Need North Carolina startups head west to reach their full potential? It’s a question many local founders contemplate. Despite its...

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