NCInnovation OKs $13.7M in projects

NCInnovation, a nonprofit university research accelerator, announced $13.7 million in research and development funding for 17 new projects it has approved. The projects funded span 12 of the state’s public universities.

“The research projects on this list are exactly what North Carolina public universities should be championing: real-world research that can bolster North Carolina’s — and America’s — competitiveness,” Deanna Ballard, chair of the NCInnovation Board of Directors Program Committee, said in a press release.

In 2023, NCInnovation (NCI) received $500 million in endowment funds for its work, split into two equal tranches.

NCI was authorized to use $140 million of the total funds but instead opted to invest the principal amount, which accumulated more than $20 million in interest; $5.2 million of that interest money was put toward the group’s first round of eight grants.

The list of projects includes the topics of agriculture, livestock, vaccines, cancer treatments, Alzheimer’s therapy and other health care research areas.

• Appalachian State: Using AI to identify livestock parasites (Zachary E. Russell)

• East Carolina: Compact wind tunnel for testing pesticides (Stephanie Richards), and using technology to support speech language pathologists to treat stuttering (Patrick Briley)

• Fayetteville State: Hemp-based bio pesticide for use in commercial poultry houses (Shirley Lee Chao)

• North Carolina A&T: Clinical knee arthrometer to measure knee laxity (Randy Schmitz)

• NC State: Healing wounds with electric bandages (Amay Bandodkar), and nontoxic fiber production (Ericka Ford)

• UNC Asheville: Targeting drug-resistant bacteria (Amanda L. Wolfe)

• UNC Chapel Hill: Inexpensive, portable ultrasounds (Dr. Jeffrey S. A. Stringer) and treatment for fibrosis (Ronit Freeman)

• UNC Charlotte: Laser technology to protect and store vaccines for transport (Susan Trammell) and pancreatic cancer therapeutic (Pinku Mukherjee)

• UNC Greensboro: Pheromone-based technology for pest- and disease-resistant honeybees (Kaira Wagoner) and a faster method for identifying molecules (Liam Michael Duffy)

• UNC Pembroke: Alzheimer’s and traumatic brain injury therapeutic (Ben A. Bahr)

• UNC Wilmington: Neck Strength Assessment Device with military and sports applications (Lindsey Schroeder)

• Winston-Salem State: Utilizing virtual reality to train nurses (Leslee Battle and Tori Brown)

“North Carolina’s public universities are working on truly amazing technologies, from improving poultry and livestock mortality rates to treating diseases like Alzheimer’s and pancreatic cancer,” said Michelle Bolas, executive vice president and chief innovation officer of NCInnovation.

“NCInnovation helps researchers advance their discoveries through the university R&D process toward commercialization, strengthening the university-to-industry pipeline that’s central to American competitiveness.”

Ballard and former Rep. Wayne Sasser, the House appointee to NCI’s board, co-signed a letter to legislators about the new projects and asked for comments and feedback. Ballard is also a former North Carolina state senator.

NCI’s funding could be in jeopardy due to a section of the Senate’s proposed budget and a recent House budget provision.

The Senate’s budget would require NCI to transfer $100 million back to the state to be held in a new “NCInnovation Reserve” and $400 million to the UNC Board of Governors for North Carolina Children’s Health. NCI would get a portion of the funding back, receiving $25 million annually between 2025 and 2029. The money would be used to establish at least four regional innovation hubs for commercializing research from North Carolina’s universities and community colleges.

A House Appropriations Committee on General Government’s budget provision would take back the $500 million and put it into the Hurricane Helene Recovery Fund.