NCInnovation may sound like a catchy name for a craft beer, but it is much more than a name. NCInnovation is a nonprofit organization created to unlock the innovative potential of North Carolina’s world-class public universities. While the state of North Carolina is a well-recognized leader in research and development, the output does not measure up to the state’s size and historically, most of the state’s research efforts have stemmed from the Research Triangle Park. Today, other regions of North Carolina are making a name for themselves with innovative concepts that University of North Carolina System schools are developing through academic-industry partnerships every day. This is where NCInovation steps in — to bridge academia and industry, to move inventions to market and create long-term economic benefits for all regions of the state. This is done by supporting researchers with grant funding, mentorship and partnership development to commercialize applied research breakthroughs and accelerate the transition from the classroom to the production floor.
NCInnovation’s focus is on supporting North Carolina public university research that has commercial promise. Four regional networks are located at UNC System campuses in Charlotte, Cullowhee, Greensboro and Greenville. WCU is part of NCInnovation’s Western Regional Network, led by Meagan Coneybeer, regional innovation network director. “We are tech agnostic, which means that we are open to any faculty member here in the western part of the state at our institutions which include WCU, UNC Asheville, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Morganton and Appalachian State,” Coneybeer said.
The program supports faculty working on industry-led, program-based innovations in partnership with industry or those who are interested in collaborating on large scale regional economic development projects that would be anchored in research, experience and excellence of a university collaboration. As part of the pilot grant funding, Brian Byrd, WCU’s mosquito expert and professor in the environmental health sciences program, along with Scott Huffman, professor in WCU’s Department of Chemistry and Physics, have been approved for grant funding from NCInnovation to continue their work in developing tools that utilize spectroscopy to analyze vibrational signals from mosquitoes.
“Using spectroscopy, we are developing tools that analyze chemical signals from mosquitoes to tell us the species, sex, age of the mosquitoes and if they are infected,” Byrd said. “Using our approach, we can rapidly assess the risk of infection in the Aedes mosquitoes that transmit dengue fever and Zika.”
Currently, it takes days or weeks to conduct this type of risk assessment, but the approach Byrd and Huffman are developing will make the work much quicker and more efficient.
“There is a similar Aedes mosquito in Western North Carolina that transmits La Crosse virus causing encephalitis in children every year,” Byrd said. “This tool gives us a platform to improve risk assessments and opportunities to reduce human disease.”
For Huffman, this project hits close to home.
“When I was a boy, I almost died from a vector-borne disease,” he said. “This experience impacted me. While I have no skills or ability to address the particular disease that I experienced, working with Brian for the past six years has given me the opportunity to contribute in a small way to the field of pediatric vector-borne diseases. This funding from NCI will help us translate some of our fundamental laboratory research into an applied tool that hopefully will benefit society.”
The grant approval is conditioned on standard next steps, including executed grant agreements and formal notification to government partners. The funding is part of NCInnovation’s larger mission to unlock the innovative potential of North Carolina’s world-class universities.
“Dr. Byrd and Dr. Huffman’s award from NCI is a testament to the exemplary dedication to teaching and applied research by the outstanding faculty at Western Carolina University,” WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown said. “This funding serves as a catalyst for additional innovative exploration by our faculty as we strive to bolster economic condition in Western North Carolina and indeed the entire state. I would like to thank the General Assembly for supporting exciting, applied research underway here at WCU and across the UNC System.”
The grant funding from NCInnovation’s larger effort to support the development and commercialization of university research in North Carolina. The campus-to-industry pipeline has been the foundation of American innovation for decades.
There is so much applied research happening and this gives us the oppertunity to support that journey to commercialization and to partner with universities to bring successes to market.
- Bennet Waters, President and CEO of NCInnovation
“We are consistently blown away by the applied research innovations coming out of North Carolina’s public universities,” said Michelle Bolas, NCInnovation executive vice president and chief innovation officer.
“Dr. Byrd’s and Dr. Huffman’s work has promising applications throughout the state and country and we’re excited to watch this research continue to develop.” Bennet Waters, president and CEO of NCInnovation; is excited about the opportunities that will stem from these partnerships. “At its core, NCI is a regional economic development opportunity and the concept is to use the existing or potentially applied research from our university campuses and not just those that are in the RTP,” said Waters. “There is so much applied research happening and this gives us the opportunity to support that journey to commercialization and to partner with universities to bring their successes to market. NCInnovation puts boots on the ground to foster these relationships. This is not a Raleigh-centric model; this is about helping folks that live beyond population centers to develop economic opportunities.”
The organization received $500 million in state funding as an endowment to accelerate the commercialization of research at universities. NCInnovation will deploy the interest earned on the endowment to provide grant funding and support services to university researchers. By doing so, NCInnovation will support the growth of new businesses and licensing revenue from commercialized research, helping boost economic development in the region. The program supports faculty working on industry-led, program-based innovations in partnership with industry or those who are interested in collaborating on large scale regional economic development projects that would be anchored in research, experience and excellence of a university collaboration.
“The partnership between WCU and NCI presents incredible opportunities to promote research-based entrepreneurship, product development and commercialization, and bolsters the likelihood of new job creation in the western portion of the state,” said Rich Price, WCU’s chief marketing and strategic partnerships officer. “The investment potential presented by NCInnovation removes so many barriers to university-led product and concept realization and the creation of intellectual property that will fuel economic growth.”
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