Research universities are places where new healthcare ideas are made. But turning these ideas into real treatments or products needs extra help beyond normal research. Applied research funding gives this help by giving grants and resources to scientists who want to make their ideas useful for patients.
North Carolina’s NCInnovation (NCI) program is one example. It gives more than $145 million each year to support public university research that can be turned into business products. NCI uses money from an endowment instead of taxes. This way, the program can keep working steadily without worrying about yearly budget changes.
NCInnovation supports many healthcare projects. It gives money to research on diseases like cancer, brain illnesses, vaccines, and environmental health problems. For example:
These projects show how funding can help create healthcare tools that may improve patient care. Knowing about such developments helps healthcare managers prepare to use these new treatments or tests when they become available.
Applied research funding helps not only healthcare but also the economy in local areas. When universities get grants to build new technology, it creates jobs, new businesses, and attracts private investments.
NCInnovation makes sure the economic benefits stay in North Carolina. Companies that receive funding must be based and operate in the state for at least five years. This rule helps keep jobs and business growth local.
The program also uses a regional approach. North Carolina is divided into four innovation networks: East, West, North Central, and South Central. Each region has different strengths and needs. The program supports a fair spread of research to help reduce differences between cities and rural areas.
Examples of projects funded include:
From a healthcare manager’s point of view, local economic growth can help by raising money for healthcare and attracting skilled workers. New research businesses create jobs in biotechnology and health tech, improving local medical facilities.
Innovation in healthcare is not just about new science. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and workflow automation also helps run healthcare operations better. As research results move toward patient care, good communication, scheduling, and management become important.
AI tools can handle front office tasks like booking appointments, answering patient questions, and managing phone calls. Companies like Simbo AI provide phone automation for medical offices. These tools lower office work so staff can spend more time with patients.
Automation improves workflow by reducing mistakes, streamlining patient contacts, and helping with clinical trials or new treatments. For example, when the new melanoma immune therapy goes to trials, AI can help manage patient appointments and calls.
AI also helps track patient results from new treatments. Electronic health records combined with AI can check how well treatments work or find patients who qualify for new therapies. This helps researchers get feedback faster and improve innovations more quickly.
Healthcare administrators managing both clinical care and research find AI tools useful. These tools lower manual workload, improve communication, and make data more accurate. This helps medical offices better handle the challenges of new treatments and technology.
As applied research keeps focusing on healthcare, it is important for administrators, practice owners, and IT managers to stay involved. This involvement will help bring new technologies to patients and support the economies in their communities. Working with research universities and using AI tools can help build better healthcare systems for people in the United States.
NCInnovation (NCI) is an organization dedicated to unlocking the innovative potential of North Carolina’s universities by providing grant funding and support services to public university researchers working on commercially promising discoveries.
NCInnovation supports the critical phase between proof of concept and market readiness by funding university applied research, thereby enhancing the chances of commercialization within North Carolina.
NCInnovation operates on a fiscally responsible model, using an endowment to fund grants without relying on annual taxpayer allocations, ensuring that administrative costs are covered by private contributions.
NCInnovation grants are targeted at high-impact research projects that have reached proof of concept and aim to advance towards commercial readiness in various technology sectors.
NCInnovation requires that companies benefitting from its funds must be legally incorporated in North Carolina and maintain their headquarters in the state for at least five years.
Research areas include neuro drug delivery, power grid efficiency, drinking water purification, cancer treatment, and lithium purification, showcasing diverse applications from health to environmental technologies.
The primary goal of NCInnovation’s grants is to commercialize research investments, transforming university breakthroughs into viable businesses that contribute to economic opportunity and job creation in North Carolina.
NCInnovation is actively engaging all 16 universities within the UNC System for grant applications to support research aimed at commercial viability.
NCInnovation has initiated pilot grants approved for eight research projects, which include advancements in healthcare, technology, and environmental sustainability, to foster innovation in the state.
NCInnovation leverages a regional approach to funding and support, promoting balanced economic growth by tapping into the unique strengths of different regions across North Carolina.
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